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CARMEL: 



ITS HISTORY ARD SPIRIT. 








* 
















































































. 













♦ 






























































I 








CARMEL: 


ITS HISTORY AND SPIRIT. 


COMPILED FROM APPROVED SOURCES 


The Discalced Carmelites 

OF BOSTON. 


FLYNN & MAHONY, Publishf.rs. 
is Essex Street, 
boston. 






Imprimatur: 

JOANNES JOSEPHUS, 

A rchiepiscopus Host aniens 


Die 2 September, 1897 . 

oam 

FATHER G. RY^n 

AUG- 20 1.940 


A U THOR'S DEC LA RA 710 ft. 

In conformity with the Degree of Pope Urban VIII., we declare 
that the terms miracle, revelation, apparition and other similar 
expressions used in this book, have, in our mind, no other than a 
purely historical value, and that we submit, unreservedly, the entire 
contents of this book to the judgment of the Apostolic See. 


TO THE BENEFACTORS, 

CLERGY AND LAITY, 

BY WHOSE ZEAL AND DEVOTED CHARITY THE FI RS I 
MOUNT CARMEL IN NEW ENGLAND 
HAS BEEN ERECTED, 

THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED 
WITH THE GRATITUDE AND AFFECTION OF 
THE DISCALCED CARMELITES. 




PREFACE. 


Much interest has been expressed in regard to the New Carmelite 
Monastery erected in Boston, and many questions have been asked 
as to the history and meaning of Carmel. 

The American character is eminently practical, and New Eng¬ 
landers especially, want to know the meaning of what they see. 

The first Carmelite Monastery in New England and the fourth in 
the United States has risen in their midst, and naturally they want 
to know whence it has come and what is its mission. 

This little work has been compiled to answer these questions, 
and it is hoped that the answers may be satisfactory to all who are 
interested. 

The most approved writers have been consulted for the history, 
R. P. Brocard de-S. Thdrese, R. P. Alexis, Louis de S. Joseph, Rev. 
C. W. Currier, author of “Carmel in America,” and others. 

The chapter on the Spirit has been drawn from the Exhortations 
Monastiques , by R. P. Etienne, the works of Fr. Thomas of Jesus, 
and of St. Teresa. “Lives” of venerated Carmelites and “Les Chro- 
niques du Carmel,” have helped to furnish material. 

The desire is to make Carmel known and loved, and hoping for 
the accomplishment of this, with the blessing of God, the Carmelites 
offer this little volume to their friends as a Souvenir of the Opening 
Day. 


Monastery of Mount Carmel , Boston, 
Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, 
September r 2 , r8qy. 



CONTENTS. 

Chapter I.—Mt. Carmel.Page 

II.—The Greek Era,. 

III. —The Latin Era, . “ 

IV. —St. Teresa and the Reform, 

V.—The Extension of the Order, “ 

VI. —Mt. Carmel, Palestine. 

VII. —The Carmelites Cross the Pyrenees, 

“ VIII, —The English Teresians and their American 
Sisters, 

IX.—Carmel in America, 

“ X.—A Glance at Europe, 

“ XL—New Foundations, 

“ XII.— The Spirit and Rule of Carmel, 

“ XIII.—Devotions of Carmel, ..." 


i 

25 

48 

59 

69 

80 

to6 

123 

136 

•45 

161 

191 









SAINTS OF MOUNT CARMEL 









CHAPTER I. 


MOUNT CARMEL. 


M OUNT CARMEL is a chain of mountains about 
fifteen miles long, running across Palestine, sit¬ 
uated between Tyre and Caesarea and separated from 
Ptolemy only by a gulf. At the division of the Ten Tribes 
it was apportioned to Aser, who made his abode on the 
North; to Zabulon, who took possession of the Eastern 
shore; and to Issacher, who pitched his tents about mid¬ 
way between. 

The mountain begins towards the northwest by a bold 
promontory, jutting out into the Mediterranean and rising 
abruptly nearly six hundred feet above the sea, then 
stretching towards the southeast it gradually reaches a 
height of seventeen hundred feet. On the northeast is 
the Town of Acre, with the Bay of Acre ten miles distant; 
further on towards the South, is the rich plain of Esdra 
Ion with the ever winding river Cison, on whose shores 
Deborah sang her song of victory, and whose waters ran 
crimson with the blood of the false Prophets of Baal. The 
promontory overlooking the sea, is the most sacred part of 
the mountain and is an ideal solitude, it was there Elias 
had his principal dwelling place, there he foresaw the Vir¬ 
gin under the form of a little cloud and there he drew down 



fire from Heaven. The mountain is of great natural beauty, 
and the traveller from Europe, approaching the Holy 
Land, beholds with wonder and admiration its lofty sum¬ 
mit rising out of the waves, crowned with majestic oaks 
and pines: a summit of such graceful form and verdant 
beauty, that in the Canticles the head of the Bride is 
likened to it, “ thy head is as Carmel.” Gradually a lovely 
panorama unfolds, the sides of the mountain appear, 
covered with fruit trees and smiling villages; olive and 
orange trees cast their shadows upon the limped waters, 
issuing from the base of the mountain, and the whole 
scene is one of surpassing loveliness, never to be forgotten 
by one who has felt the charm of its sacred beauty. 

The word Carmel has various significations. It is mys¬ 
tically interpreted as: “ the Circumcision of the Lamb,” 
which meaning typifies the spirit of sacrifice characteristic 
of its children. The general meaning of the Hebrew 
word is: a “ garden, a beautiful hill, a choice orchard, a 
highly cultivated ground.” In particular and as a proper 
name, Mt. Carmel means, not only “ a garden on the 
Mount,” but “the garden Mount,” according to Otto Van 
Richter, who further says, “ There is no mountain in or 
around Palestine, that retains its beauty as Carmel does; 
its groves are few, but they are luxuriant, no crags there, 
nor precipices nor rocks for wild goats ” ; and M. Van de 
Velde, a Belgian traveller of note, writes, “ I have not 
found in Galilee nor along the coast, nor in the plain, any 
flower that I did not find on Carmel.” Pope sang of it: 

“ Carmel! thy flowery top perfumes the skies.” 

So much for the natural beauty, which is but a dim 
shadow of the spiritual beauty and fertility of this most 



3 


blessed mountain, the cradle of the Order of Carmel, 
which from 900 years before the Christian era until the 
present day, has been the home of Contemplation and the 
resting place of the Most High, whose delight is to be 
with the children of men. 

Carmel is often spoken of in the Holy Scriptures, and 
is especially celebrated as having been the dwelling place 
of the Prophet Elias, whose mighty deeds occupy so large 
a portion of the Sacred narrative. The grotto of the 
Prophet situated at the foot of the mountain, is held in 
veneration, not only among the Christians of all rites, but 
even among the Arabs, the Turks and the Moors, it is 
about fifteen feet long and twelve feet high, and served 
the Saint as an asylum and oratory. Attached to it is a 
Chapel, which is regarded as the most ancient ever erected 
in honor of our Lady of Mt. Carmel; it dates back to the 
year of our Lord, 83. It was built in the form of a per¬ 
fect square, with a vault resting on four arches. A few 
steps above the Chapel is the grotto of Eliseus, the disciple 
of Elias, it is hewn out of the rock, and near it is found a 
cistern. There is also a cave twenty feet long, eighteen 
feet wide and twelve feet high, which is called the grotto 
of the Sons of the Prophet. The fountain of the Prophet 
is westward, a little more than a mile from the promontory 
of Carmel; its sweet and crystalline waters gush from 
the side of the mountain, and are received into a rock 
hewn basin, whence they flow in copious streams travers¬ 
ing the adjoining valley. The whole mountain is sacred 
to the memory of Elias and his followers, and with reason. 
Elias was so illustrious among the Prophets, that he was 
chosen to represent them in his own person before Jesus 


4 


Christ, on the day of the Transfiguration; so eminent in 
sanctity, that the Angel Gabriel could not better express 
the exalted dignity of the Baptist, than by saying that he 
would come “ in the spirit and power of Elias so admir¬ 
able before God, that he was taken from this world in a 
chariot of fire while yet alive, and is reserved for the final 
combat with the enemies of Christ at the last day. 

This great Prophet has always been regarded by the 
Carmelites as the Founder and the first Patriarch of their 
Order. This ancient and cherished tradition has been 
sanctioned by the Church, for the statue of the Prophet 
Elias stands in the Vatican among the Founders of Relig¬ 
ious Orders, bearing the following inscription : 

“Universus Ordo Carmelitanum fundatori suo Sancto Eliae 
prophetae erexit—The Order of Carmel has erected this to the 
Holy Prophet Elias its Founder.” 


The rescript which accorded this privilege was granted 
by Benedict XIII, written with his own hand, and ad¬ 
dressed to the Carmelite Fathers June 26, 1725.* The 
Carmelites also say the Office of the Prophet Elias on July 
2oth.f and Clement XIII, in a decree of Aug. 1st, 1767, 
conceded the Office and Mass to all who wished to say it. 

Elias was born at Thesbe on the borders of Arabia of 
the tribe of Aaron the Levite, but he dwelt in Galaad for 
in Thesbe the houses were consecrated, and set apart for 
the priests. 

St. Epiphanius in his lives of the Prophets relates, that 
when his mother gave him birth, his father, Sobac, beheld 


*Bullarium Carmelitanum Tom. Ill, page 348. 

tSaints of Carmel—Proper Offices of the Carmelite Saints. Translated from the 
Tatm for the Carmelite Convent of Boston, 1896, page 258. 




5 


the following vision : Men carrying a white garment be¬ 
fore them paid homage to a little boy whom they tore from 
his mother’s breast, and cast into the fire, they even fed 
him with flames of fire instead of food. Fitting type of 
him, who, as the Scripture tells us, “ stood up as a fire, 
whilst his words burned as a torch.” In consequence of 
this vision, his father set out from Jerusalem and related 
to the priests the wonders he had seen. He received the 
following answer: “ Beware of publishing the vision, for 

light shall be the dwelling place of this son and his speech 
shall be interpretation and wisdom, he shall judge Israel 
with fire, and with a two-edged sword.” 

His name being interpreted means the “ Lord God,” 
according to St. Isidore, who calls him a man full of 
faith and lofty devotion, strong under hardship, fruitful in 
resources, endowed with a powerful intellect, rigid in his 
austere virtue, unwearied in holy meditation, fearless in 
the face of death. He is called in Arabian, El Kader, 
which in Latin means viridis , and in English green or 
fresh, because he never knew the weakness and decrepi¬ 
tude of age, but remained to the last green and fruitful in 
the ways of the Lord. His virtues are praised by Saints 
and Doctors of the Church, who call him the chief of the 
Prophets and the Father of the Monastic life.* Nothing 
could exceed his poverty, St. Gregory of Nazianzen calls 
him the poorest of the poor, and St. John Chrysostom 
says, no one could be poorer than this holy man, nor ob¬ 
serve a more rigorous poverty than that which he had 
chosen. All the Fathers agree in saying, that he was a 
Virgin. St. Gregory of Nyssa proposes him, with St. 


♦Elias noster, dux noster Elias (St. Ephrem—St. Jerome.) 



6 


John the Baptist, as an example and model of virginity; 
and St. Ephrem teaches, that virginity will serve as a 
chariot, lifting Heavenward all those who guard it, as did 
Elias. 

St. Bernardine of Servia speaks of his wonderful obedi¬ 
ence, and St. Augustine proposes him to us as a figure of 
Jesus Christ. He fasted forty days and nights, like our 
Lord ; he stood up as a fire burning with zeal for the glory 
of God, preaching and recalling sinners, announcing to 
them the ways of justice and of sanctity. He raised the 
dead to life, like the Son of God, and he was the chosen 
symbol of His Ascension, being raised aloft in a trium¬ 
phant Chariot. The Father and Founder of Carmel, is 
then one of the most illustrious Saints of the Church of 
God, and that he is truly and indeed the Father and 
Founder of the Carmel of to-day, may be shown by abun¬ 
dant testimony. 

St. Jerome writing to St. Paulinus says, that if the 
source of the Monastic life is sought for in Scripture, it 
will be found that Elias is its founder. 

St. John Chrysostom, Cassian and Rupert agree, that 
this holy Prophet founded the Monastic life. The holy 
Cardinal Peter Damian says the same, and the opinion of 
these Fathers is in accordance with Scripture, for we are 
told in Ecclesiasticus, that Elias had Prophets to succeed 
him : “ who makest prophets successors after thee.” He 
reunited a large number of disciples on Carmel and they 
led a life in common, sanctified by prayer and celibacy. 
They met together to be instructed by their holy chief, 
and this fact has given rise to the name of one of the 
principal caverns of the mountain, called the “ School of 


/ 


the Prophets.” According to an ancient and venerable 
tradition, this succession of holy Solitaries has always ex¬ 
isted on and about the holy mountain. Innumerable 
caverns are shown, which they inhabited, called by the 
people of the country, “ Schifel Ruban”—“that is to say, 
“Caves of the Religious,” some of which have windows 
and even beds cut into the solid rock, and near them are 
little fountains distilling limpid waters drop by drop.* 

The immediate successor of Elias was Eliseus the son 
of a rich laborer of Abelmeula. He was for a long time 
the beloved disciple of the Prophet, witness of his miracles, 
inheritor of his mantle and of his double spirit, and chosen 
by the Prophet himself to continue his ministry. On his 
return to Carmel, after the separation from his loved 
Father, who cast his mantle upon him from the fiery 
chariot, Eliseus was met by all the solitaries of Carmel, 
called the sons of the Prophet, who attached themselves 
to him and recognized him as the successor of Elias and 
their chief and superior. “And the sons of the Prophets 
who were at Jericho said: the spirit of Elias hath 
rested upon Eliseus, and coming to meet him they wor¬ 
shipped him falling to the ground.” IV. King chap. 

n. is-' 

Eliseus fixed his dwelling on Carmel, for it was there 
the Sunamite woman, came to find him, asking the resus¬ 
citation of her son, and he left the holy mountain, only 
when summoned thence by zeal for the Glory of God or 
the good of his neighbor. Under his administration the 
spiritual family of Elias increased, and Carmel became a 
place of pilgrimage for all the surrounding country. The 


^Extract of Voyage en Orient by Fr. Philip of the Holy Trinity, 1640. 



8 


people went there on feast days to mingle their prayers 
with those of its holy inhabitants, as is shown by the ques¬ 
tion of the husband of the Sunamitess, who, not knowing of 
the death of his son, questioned his wife as to the motive 
of her unusual journey: “Why dost thou go to him, to¬ 
day is neither new moon nor sabbath.” This concourse 
of pilgrims gave rise to the weak fable related by Pliny 
the Naturalist and other travellers, that the holy moun¬ 
tain of Carmel was itself an object of adoration. 

After a time the sons of the Prophet said to Eliseus: 
“Behold the place where we dwell with thee is too straight 
for us, let us go as far as the Jordan and take out of the 
wood, every man a piece of timber, that we may build us 
there a place to dwell in,” IV. Kings chap. VI., and so it 
came to pass, that colonies descended from Carmel to 
people the borders of the Jordan, the Nile, and the most 
beautiful hills of Phenicia and Egypt. 

Pliny refers to these holy Solitaries as “ an everlasting 
nation among whom no one is born,”* and St. Jerome 
in his letter to Rusticus says, that these Prophets were the 
monks who built cells or little houses near the Jordan, 
and that they lived on barley flour and the herbs of the 
fields. St. Isidore assures us, that those who were chil¬ 
dren of the Prophets in the old Law, were the first to 
make special profession of poverty and chastity. Theo- 
doret remarks, that their poverty was extreme, that they 
contented themselves with dwellings fashioned by their 
own hands, and he even notes the fact, that they were 
obliged to borrow the implements they used, for “when, as 
it happened, that one was felling some timber, and the 


*Hist. Nat. lib. 5, Chap. 17. 



9 


head of the axe fell into the water, the Prophet cried out: 
“Alas! alas! My Lord, for this same was borrowed” IV. 
Kings VI. After a time, when fulfillment succeeded 
prophecy and the office of the Prophets became less com¬ 
mon among the Jews, the name, “children of the Proph¬ 
ets ” ceased altogether, and those who succeeded them were 
called Rechabites and later Essenians. Josephus and 
Philo speak of them in terms of admiration saying, that 
they led a very austere life, eating only bread and veg¬ 
etables and never drinking wine. They wore, a white 
habit, and lived in the greatest poverty. Philo says that 
they were perpetually in the presence of God, so that even 
in their -sleep, they thought only of celestial things, and 
that they practiced a system of Philosophy or manner of 
life, which they had received from their predecessors and 
so continued that, which had already been observed be¬ 
fore them. It is probable, that the rule and customs 
were not written, but were preserved by tradition or what 
is still better, by fervent practice. The misfortunes of the 
captivity did not result in the ruin of this beautiful order 
of things, and such was the virtue of the children of Car¬ 
mel even then, that the Prophet Micheas, praying for his 
nation, felt called to make a special and fervent prayer 
for them. “ Pasce gregem hereditatis tuae habitantes 
solos in saltu.” “ Feed the flock of thy inheritance, them 
that dwell alone, in the forest, in the midst of Carmel.” 
Mich. VII. 14. Jeremias, when reproaching the Jews for 
their infidelity and disobedience, pointed to the example 
of the Rechabites, who were ever faithful to their laws, 
and who, in reward, received the extraordinary promise: 


IO 


“There shall not be wanting a man of the race of lone- 
dab the son of Rechab standing before me forever.” 

The venerable tradition, concerning the descent of the 
Carmelites from the Prophet Elias, has been adopted by 
at least 393 writers and learned men, among whom may 
be counted 57 Jesuits, 19 Dominicans, 19 Franciscans, 

17 Benedictines and 11 Augustinians; it has been con¬ 
firmed by the authority of the following Popes, Sixtus IV., 
John XXII., Julian II., Pius V., Gregory XIII., Sixtus V. 
and Clement VIII. 

P. Ildefonsus, of the Society of Jesus, speaks as fol¬ 
lows : “ Seeing all the illustrious testimonies of the an¬ 
tiquity of Carmel; the Bulls of the Sovereign Pontiffs; 
the answers of great writers; the tombs, epitaphs, stones, 
ancient statues; the sentiments of Bishops; the decrees 
of academies ; in a word, a great cloud of irreproachable 
witnesses; it seems that it would not be just to contradict 
an authority so well established, to reject this respectable 
tradition of Carmel.” 

P. Sanchez, Professor at Alcala, in his Commentary on 
the Holy Scriptures, expresses himself as follows, in 
regard to the antiquity of Carmel: “ I am of the opinion 
of those who maintain that the Religious who are called 
in our day Carmelites—men renowned for the glory of 
their Order and the sanctity of their lives, may trace their 
origin to the holy Mountain of Carmel. What has con¬ 
vinced me, is the constant and perpetual tradition, not 
only in the Order but in nearly all nations. There are 
many other reasons, which give great weight to this opin¬ 
ion—the authority of Doctors; of history, ancient and 
modern ; the old monuments of the Order of Carmel, to 


which may be added the testimony of Sovereign Pontiffs, 
who assure us, that this Order owes its origin to the 
discipline and institute of Elias.” * 

Suarez, called by Benedict XIV. “ Doctor eximius,” 
says: “ It is a tradition well received and very ancient, 
that the Order of Carmel originated at the time of the 
Prophets, and especially from the institute of Elias, and 
that it holds a hereditary succession commenced on Mt. 
Carmel, from which it has borrowed its name. This 
tradition we may regard as venerable, all the more, 
as seven Sovereign Pontiffs, in the Bulls accorded to 
the Order, speak in the following terms of the Religious 
who are its members: They shine in Charity as a mirror 
and a model , holding a hereditary succession from the holy 
Prophets , Elias and Eliseus, and the other Fathers , who 
have inhabited the holy mountain of Carmel near the 
fountain of Elias T | 

Clement VIII., in the Bull, Dominici greges cura of 
July 14, 1604, by which he accords ample privileges to 
the *Discalced Carmelites of Italy, says: “ Distinguished, 
as you are, by humility, poverty, abnegation, abstinence, 
fasts and austerities of life, you show that you are the 
disciples of your Father and Prophet, St. Elias, the 
founder of your institute.” t 

This word of the Sovereign Pontiff, may fitly close the 
history, of what is known in Carmel as the Prophetic era 
of the Order, comprising the centuries from the time of 

* In III. Book Kin^s, Chap. XVII., No. 12. (See also, Scriptur® Sacrae Cursus, 
completus Edit, de Migne, 1839, Tom X., pp. 1073-74). 

t Tom IV. De Religione Tract IX., Lib. II., Chap. X. (See edition de Vives, 
Paris, i860, Tom XVI., p. 547). 

$ Humilitate, paupertate, nuditate abstinentia, jejuniis ac vitae austeritate prae- 
lucentes Patris vestri et Prophetae Ssmi Eliae, vestri Instituti auctoris, alumnos et 
imitatores vos ostenditis. Bullarium Carmelitanum Tom III., p. 348. 



12 

the Prophet Elias to the age of Christianity. May the 
Carmel of to-day look unto the rock whence she is hewn 
and rejoice in the living God, who hath done great things 
in her! 


J 3 


CHAPTER II. 


THE GREEK ERA. 



FTER the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven, a 


I \ new era dawned for the Order of Elias; the Lessons 
of the Roman Breviary for the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. 
Carmel relate, that “ many persons who had walked in 
the footsteps of Elias and Eliseus, were made ready by 
St. John the Baptist to hail the coming of the Messiah, 
and on the day of Pentecost, being assured of the truth, 
they straightway embraced the Gospel.” Eusebius calls 
them: “Men of the Prophetic Order,” “ Erant viri Or- 
dinis Prophetici.” * 

Josephus of Antioch, writing about the year 130 on the 
state of the primitive Church, states that the pious soli¬ 
taries of Mt. Carmel, followers of Elias and Eliseus, were 
very efficient helpers of the Apostles in spreading the 
faith throughout Palestine, Samaria and Galilee.t 

In the Acts of the Apostles, reference is made to the 
coming of the Prophets from Jerusalem to Antioch.— 
Acts XI., 27. They introduced there the same mode of 
life practised by them in Jerusalem and on Mt. Carmel. It 
is said that some, who had previously gone to Alexandria 
with Enoch, a hermit from Mt. Carmel, at their head, 

*Hist. Eccle. 

t Speculum perfect* Ecclesi* primitive, Chap. XII. 





H 


established there the Monastic life, under St. Mark; and 
their energies gave birth to the famous Christian schools 
of that city. Baronius refers to this when he says, that 
St. Anthony was not institutor of the monks, but that he 
?'eestablished the institute of the Essenians, which had 
flourished under St. Mark in Egypt. 

Soon Palestine, Egypt and the entire Orient, saw the 
most savage solitudes peopled with an ever increasing 
number of holy Solitaries, who by their sighs, hastened 
the conversion of the world and by their mortified and 
heavenly life, protested strongly against the infamies of 
expiring paganism. 

They even journeyed to far countries, and it is said, 
that St. Elpidius, a hermit of Carmel, went with St. James 
to Spain and was appointed by him first Bishop of To¬ 
ledo. Thus, in the time of the Apostles, we have these 
holy hermits of Carmel on fire with the zeal of Elias, 
with prayer and penance laboring for the spread of the 
Gospel; they are, in truth, “ an everlasting nation” from 
the heights of Carmel and the banks of the Jordan.. 

The venerable traditions of the Order, at this time, are 
full of sacred interest to all lovers of Mary, the “ Queen, 
Flower of Carmel.” 

Carmel has always been known as the “ Order of 
Mary,” charged with the blessed duty of honoring her 
and of propagating her devotion in a special manner. 
Even long centuries before her coming, from the time of 
Elias, she was known, loved and honored in Carmel. 
Some may wonder to hear of devotion to Mary, nine 
hundred years before God gave her to the world, but 
it must be remembered, that Mary was the bow of 


*5 


promise to mankind, from the moment of original sin. 
Her beautiful image shines through all the sacred pages 
beside that of her Divine Son, and her radiance lighted 
up even the darkness of paganism. The Gentiles, who 
hardly knew the meaning of Virginity, enshrined it in one 
of the most brilliant constellations of the zodiac ; Virgil 
sang of it in harmonious verse; and the Druids had a 
temple and an altar erected to the Virgin who was to 
bring forth : “ Virgini pariturae.” Is it, then surprising 

to behold it known and honored among the people of 
God! Surely there is no cause for wonder, that the 
family of Elias, consecrated by Virginity, rendered sol¬ 
emn homage to the Virgin of Virgins even before her 
birth, and were the first to welcome her with their devoted 
homage as Virgin Mother of the new-born Church ! 

Sephoris, the capital of Galilee in the time of Herod 
Antipater, was the home of Joachim and Anne, and is 
not far from Carmel. It is related, that intercourse ex¬ 
isted between the Solitaries of the holy Mountain and the 
devout family of Sephoris, and that Mary, as a child, 
visited Carmel, in company with her holy parents. This 
would not be at all unlikely, for, as has been seen, 
Carmel was a renowned place of pilgrimage for the pious 
Israelites, and this blessed family would be the first to 
follow the holy customs of their time. It is a fact, that 
devotion to Joachim and Anne is immemorial in the 
Order of Carmel, and their feast days are even now 
celebrated with special fervor. Later, the Holy Family 
dwelt at Nazareth, which is only a day’s journey from 
the Holy Mountain; and it is said, that on their return 
from Egypt, they visited the pious Solitaries, filling their 


16 


hearts with joy and peace. This, too, is most probable, 
as Carmel lies on the direct route between Egypt and 
Nazareth, and the Holy Family would have been likely to 
pass it on their way home. 

The Roman * Breviary relates, that on the Feast of 
Pentecost, the holy Prophets, who were enlightened by 
the Apostles, met and conversed with our Lady, and that 
on account of their singular love for her, they paid her 
the respect of building a little chapel, the first that was 
ever raised in her honor, and which stood upon that part 
of Carmel whence Elias, in days of old, beheld that 
manifest type of her, “ the little cloud like a man’s 
hand,” arising out of the sea. To this new Chapel 
they repaired oftentimes day by day, and in their sacred 
ceremonies, prayers, and praises, honored the Most Bles¬ 
sed Virgin as the particular guardian of their Congrega¬ 
tion. For this reason, they came to be everywhere called, 
the Brethren of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel, 
and the Supreme Pontiffs have granted indulgences to 
those who call them by this name.” * 

After the death of our Lord, our Lady and St. John 
are said to have visited Mt. Carmel and remained for 
some time, and this visit can easily be accounted for, 
since it is commonly believed by those who have devoted 
much diligence to modern research among the Holy 
Places, that the Blessed Virgin accompanied St. John 
and some other of the apostles to Nazareth, showing 
them where the Holy Family dwelt, and narrating to 


* Barbie du Bocage has collected the historic monuments which establish the 
f * ct of , ere £V 0 T n T of thls first Chapel to our Lady and telling of her visit to 
Carme (lorn XIII p. 570.) And the Baron de Geramb, in his Pilgrimage to 
Jerusalem and Mt. Sion, speaks also of this Chapel erected by the Grotto of Elias 


I 




l 7 


them many touching incidents in the life of her Divine 
Son. Whilst there, she would be likely to visit the places 
of sacred interest on the Holy Mountain. Thus did the 
Blessed Mother in her life, bless the work begun centuries 
before on Carmel, and therefore, do Carmelites rejoice to 
claim Mary and Elias for their Spiritual Parents. 

During the first three centuries, the Monastic Institu¬ 
tions gave many Saints and Martyrs to the Church. In 
the repeated persecutions to which the Christians were 
then subjected, many of these holy monks were among 
the victims who suffered death for the name of Christ. 
From the silent depths of their solitudes came men who 
held the highest offices in the Church. St. Telesphorus 
a Greek, who had embraced the rule of the Anchorets, 
was called from the desert to the Chair of St. Peter. He 
established the fast of Lent on a firm basis, decreed the 
celebration of the three Masses for Christmas Day, 
checked the heresy of Valentius and put down the 
heresy of Marcion. He suffered martyrdom in the year 
139, and was buried near the body of St. Peter in the 
Vatican.* 

A century later (259), St. Dionysius lived on Mt. 
Carmel and followed the example of the leaders of the 
Religious life, “ who built little huts near the waters of 
the Jordan, and leaving crowded cities behind, made wild 
herbs their food,” after the manner of the Monks or 
Anchorets, and led, in very truth, the life of a Prophet. 
Thus prepared by God, he was raised to the Chair of 
Peter and governed the Church under the Emperors 
Valens and Gallienus. He fought nobly and overcame 


♦(Breviary of the Carmelites, Feb. 14.) 



i8 


the heresy of Sabellius, and condemned the Heresiarch 
Paul of Samosata in two Councils called at Antioch. He 
reigned eleven years and was buried in the Catacombs of 
Callistus, on the Appian Way. 

St. Serapion lived about the year 213. He was a 
brilliant youth, accomplished in the liberal sciences; he 
left all behind him and retired to the solitude of Carmel, 
but the fame of his learning and holiness went forth from 
the desert as a sweet savor of Jesus Christ, and upon the 
death of Maximinus, Patriarch of Antioch, he was chosen 
eighth Bishop of the See of Antioch. He kept the Christ¬ 
ians in the purity of their faith, attacked the heretics, and 
by his celebrated Commentaries, refuted many of the 
impious sects. 

St. Onuphrius, who lived in the third century, dwelt in 
a Monastery, where there were a hundred Monks, who 
. recognized St. Elias as their founder. One of the caverns 
on the holy mountain, bears his name and is sacred to his 
memory. In the seventeenth century the Religious used 
it for celebrating Mass and for their spiritual exercises. 

St. Julian, who was superior of a Monastery of ten 
thousand Monks, founded from Carmel, suffered martyr¬ 
dom in the time of Diocletian. His Monastery was 
plundered by the Roman soldiers, and all the Religious 
who could not escape were put to death. During this 
period, known as the Greek era of the Order, the Relig¬ 
ious were not called by the name of Carmelites, though 
they were so in effect. Neither did they all dwell upon 
the holy mountain, as they all do not dwell there now, but 
many of them lived there at least for a time, to imbibe at 
the fountain head, the double spirit of their Holy Founder 


l 9 


—as, for example, St. Hilarion, whose biographer states 
of him that he went to Mt. Carmel to study there the 
traditions of the Monastic life, and afterwards founded 
many Monasteries throughout Palestine. 

Monasticism, as it then existed in the East, had its 
origin on Mt. Carmel, and the Monastic institutions then 
existing, were either directly founded by hermits from 
Mt. Carmel or were instituted after the manner of life 
observed by the Religious dwelling there. Many holy 
hermits also lived isolated in separate hermitages and 
never visited Mt. Carmel, but their one great aim was to 
perfectly observe the manner of life begun on Carmel by 
Elias, and to Carmel and its Religious did they look for a 
model and guide, so they may be said to have belonged, 
either by succession or imitation, to the Order of our 
Blessed Lady of Mt. Carmel. John, Patriarch of Jeru¬ 
salem, plainly accords them this privilege, for, when 
speaking of the succession of Monks on Carmel from 
the time of Elias to his own day, he adds, that those who 
had left the holy mountain to establish themselves else¬ 
where, did not cease on that account to be successors of 
St. Elias. 

In the fourth century, when the glorious reign of 
Constantine brought peace to the Church, the Monastic 
life shone with most brilliant lustre, and the traditions of 
Carmel at this time are full of interest. It was then that 
St. Helena, the pious mother of the Emperor, fulfilled her 
glorious mission in the Holy Land. 

It is related that she visited the holy mountain, and 
finding there the modest Chapel built by the hermits in 


20 


honor of our Blessed Lady, she erected another and 
much larger one near the school of the Prophets. 

It was in the fourth century that Monasticism reached 
its perfection; the whole East presented one grand spec¬ 
tacle of souls who, having renounced the world, devoted 
themselves to prayer and works of penance. This was, 
indeed, a happy state, when men lived for God alone; 
forgetting the wants of the body, they were solicitous for 
the needs of the soul; but the enemy soon came and 
plundered the flourishing vineyard. Mohammedanism 
and Islamism came—and the places that before were 
gardens of Paradise, inhabited by men who lived like 
angels, now became deserted wastes or the abodes of the 
ministers of Satan. 

From Persia, Egypt and Constantinople' came revolt 
against God’s holy Spouse; her children were banished 
or put to death; her garments were rent with schism; 
torn and wounded, she was banished from the fair land 
of the East. Many brave champions came forward to 
avenge the insults inflicted on their fair Mother the 
Church, and foremost among them were Carmel’s holy 
children, brave and heroic souls, who were nurtured in 
Mary’s chosen land. 

St. Spiridion, Bishop of Tremithius, fought the Arians 
at the Council of Nice; St. Cyril, a monk of Mt. Carmel, 
afterwards Patriarch of Alexandria, conquered the Nesto- 
rians in the fifth century. Before his appointment to the 
See of Alexandria, in accordance with the advice of John, 
Bishop of Jerusalem, he had retired to Mt. Carmel, where 
he led for some time the life of Heaven upon earth, in 
company with the pious souls who dwelt there. True to 


the Queen of Carmel, he uprooted the baneful dogma of 
the Nestorians and proved the Blessed Virgin to be the 
Mother of God. He wrote and labored much, and his 
works are read in the Divine Office throughout almost the 
whole of Syria. 

Caprasius, Superior of the hermits living on Mt. Carmel, 
was one of the most strenuous opponents of Eutyches. 

St. Cyril, Patriarch of Jerusalem, who before his eleva¬ 
tion to the Episcopate, was a Religious with the Carmelites, 
fought against Macedonius; and historians state, that 
Palladius, who opposed Pelagius, and afterwards went 
to preach the true faith in Scotland and Ireland, was a 
monk from Mt. Carmel. 

Thus, Carmel by the sea was an ever fruitful vine, 
bearing rich harvest to the Church. From its numberless 
grottoes went forth the spirit of Monasticism, which made 
the entire East a land of Saints, and later, in the hour of 
need, her children again appeared burning with the zeal 
of Elias and shining with the light of the holy mountain, 
to fight and conquer for the Church, and shed their life 
blood in the cause of truth. 

During all this time hermits continued to people the 
chosen mountain; grottoes numbering more than a thou¬ 
sand, which were inhabited by these pious solitaries, may 
still be seen in a state of preservation. Not until the last 
great day, shall we know the secrets of those countless 
lives, lost to.the world for the love and glory of God. 
Thousands are with him to-day whose names the earth 
shall never know, but, as has been seen, from time to 
time, God rent the impenetrable veil, lifting one life and 
then another from the darkness of obscurity, to shine as 


22 


a glorious star in the firmament of the Church, and light 
up for a brief space the summit of the mountain, to show 
that Carmel yet flourished, that her deserts blossomed as 
a lily and brought forth abundant fruit. 

In 612, Chosroes, Emperor of Persia, led his army 
into Palestine, and began a cruel persecution of the 
Christians. All the sacred places were desecrated ; 
Churches were thrown down or turned to profane uses; 
Monastic Institutions were plundered, and the Religious 
put to death. This persecution was carried on, without 
interruption, by the Persians and Mohammedans, for over 
four centuries. Scarcely a trace of Christianity was left 
in the East. Buildings, that for centuries had been held 
in veneration by the Christians, were changed into Pagan 
temples or Mohammedan Mosques. Many of the Relig¬ 
ious, who had gone from Mt. Carmel to the cities, re¬ 
turned once more to conceal themselves in its grottoes ; 
living there separate and alone in these small caves, they 
could more easily escape the fury of the Mohammedans 
and the snares of schismatics. Yet, even there they 
were not safe; they were pursued, and many of them 
put to death. * 

Anastasius, a young soldier of the army of Chosroes, 
was so impressed by the patience and constancy of these 
holy men, that he fled from the army and asked to be 
allowed to live among them. He was instructed by a 
priest named Elias, baptized by Modestus, Bishop of 
Jerusalem, and invested with the habit of a monk. He 
was warmly welcomed by the hermits, but was soon 
discovered by the soldiers, and, after enduring most cruel 
tortures, his head was cut off by order of the Emperor, 


2 3 


the hermits were then forbidden all intercourse with the 
people of the surrounding country. In this state, they 
were often reduced to extreme want; some of them 
escaped to Europe and begged assistance for their suf¬ 
fering brethren. 

Leo IV., who was elected Pope in the year 847, proved 
himself their protector, and granted special indulgences to 
all, who would assist by their alms, the persecuted solita¬ 
ries of Mt. Carmel; and by the charity of the faithful of 
Europe, they were able to continue their existence on the 
holy mountain. Indulgences were also granted in the 
ninth and tenth centuries, to those who visited the Churches 
of Carmel in the East and the West. # 

In the eighth century, Thomas Bishop of Florence 
relates, that he had in his city, a church served by the 
Religious of Mt. Carmel. Saint Odilo Abbot of Cluny 
says, that the Monastic state, instituted by the Prophet 
Elias, continued to the time of the Apostles, and from 
them to his own days. 

These facts give interesting evidence of the uninter¬ 
rupted succession of the hermits on Carmel and also, as 
P. Sanchez intimates, point to their recognition in far 
distant countries. The Greek era of the Order was now 
drawing to a close. God made use of the persecutions 
in the East, to spread the knowledge of the Order in the 
West, and when they had at length abated, and the Holy 
Land was freed by the Crusaders from the yoke of the 
Saracens, though almost all the Religious of Palestine 
had disappeared, Mary’s fruitful vineyard was not utterly 
destroyed. The coming of the Crusaders introduced the 
Latin element; many of these valiant soldiers of Christ 


remained in Palestine and were destined by God, whose 
ways are above the ways of men, to renew the glory and 
beauty of Carmel and restore its ancient vigor. 


2 5 


CHAPTER III. 


THE LATIN ERA. 


A YMERIC of Malifay went from France to the East 
with the Crusaders and was made Dean of the Patri¬ 
archal Church, and afterwards, Latin Patriarch of Antioch. 
Under the Pontificate of Alexander III. he was sent to 
the Holy Land as Legate, “ a latere ” of the Apostolic 
See. Having visited Mt. Carmel, and witnessed the 
heavenly life of the Brothers there, he took them under 
his special protection and bestowed great favors upon 
them. He erected into a Congregation all the Convents 
in the Holy Land founded by the hermits of Carmel, and 
exhorted the Religious to a strict observance of the rules 
they still preserved, which he himself translated from 
Greek into Latin.* 

For the greater perfection of their way of life, he wished 
them to have a superior whom they could all obey. To 
this end, he consulted the most virtuous and experienced 
among the solitaries, who besought him to grant them his 
brother or cousin german, Berthold de Malifay, who had 
already spent many years among them and, for his great 
virtues had been elevated to the rank of the Priesthood. 

♦This work is found in the Library of the Fathers, under the title, De institutione 
primorum monachorum in lege veteri exortorum et in nova perseverantium. Max. 
Bibl. P.P. Tome V. 





26 


St. Berthold, like Aymeric, was born in the Diocese of 
Limoges. His love for sacred literature had obtained 
him the degree of Doctor in Paris. He followed the 
French Crusaders to Palestine, and whilst engaged in the 
holy warfare, he made a vow to enter a Religious Order, 
if God would rescue the Christian armies from the pres¬ 
sing dangers which menaced them. His prayer was 
heard and, after his return to France, he entered a 
Monastery in Calabria in fulfillment of his vow. Whilst 
there he was inspired by God to go once more to the 
Holy Land and join the hermits on Mt. Carmel, which he 
subsequently did, living a life of great sanctity amongst 
them. By his appointment as Prior-General a new ele¬ 
ment was introduced, for he belonged to the Roman or 
Latin Church, and was the first Latin Prior on Mt. Car¬ 
mel. He governed the Order with great zeal and pru¬ 
dence for forty-five years, and under his wise guardianship 
the Religious life flourished once more. 

He began the construction of a church and Monastery 
on the ruins of the old one, which had been destroyed by 
the infidels, but was prevented by death from accomplish¬ 
ing his design. 

St. Berthold was succeeded by St. Brocard, a native of 
Jerusalem, who was elected second Prior-General of the 
Order, with the unanimous consent of the Brethren. 
Under his administration, the Carmelites spread through¬ 
out Palestine, and the Book of the Rule of John of 
Jerusalem, in which the traditions of the ancient hermits 
were preserved, was considered insufficient for promoting 
exact discipline in the Communities. St. Brocard, in his 
desire to further regular observance, petitioned Albert, 




2 7 


Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Apostolic Delegate in the 
East, to arrange for them a rule, that would embrace 
every constitution of the Order in an abridged form. 
The holy Patriarch and great St. Albert, was bound by 
the ties of closest affection to the Religious of Carmel, 
and willingly acceded to the request of Brocard. In 
1207 he gave them a Rule, admirable for the wisdom of 
its statutes and its high perfection, and embodying the 
traditions of zeal and virtue left by the holy Prophets 
Elias and Eliseus. 

This Rule is addressed to the “ Brethren who dwell 
on Mt. Carmel, near the fountain of Elias,” and consists 
of sixteen paragraphs, touching chiefly the points of 
obedience, silence, solitude, fasting, the Divine Office 
and continual prayer—“ Meditating day and night on 
the law of the Lord and watching in prayer, unless they 
be prevented by some lawful occupation.” 

God visibly blessed this work of the holy Patriarch 
Albert, and, in his zeal for the spread of Christian piety, 
he provided for the building of the Monastery of Mt. 
Carmel, and also erected others in each of the cities of 
Tyre, Sarepta, Sidon, Tripoli and the Libanus. Later, 
he withdrew to Carmel, where he ended his days with the 
hermits he loved so well, and gave up his soul to God, 
full of good works and merits. 

In a short time, the number of Religious on and about 
Mt. Carmel became so great, that the old days of Monas- 
ticism seemed to have returned. Numbers of men flocked 
to the Monasteries, to bind themselves to the severe life 
there imposed. They lived in almost continual silence, 
passed the greater part of the day in prayer, observed 


28 


a perpetual abstinence, and fastecl during the greater part 
of the year. Carmel once more rejoiced: the holiness 
and sanctity of her mortified Religious, made her once 
again the “ garden of the East.” 

The hermits continued to observe in peace the rule 
they had received, when, all at once, a violent danger 
threatened them. Innocent III., in 1215, had prohibited 
the establishment of new ’ Religious Orders, fearing 
that too great diversity of habits and of rules would 
bring confusion in the Church, and he ordained that 
those who wished to practice the regular life should 
embrace one of the rules already approved. Some of the 
Carmelites, who had by this time passed over into Europe, 
attracted the attention of the Religious there, and it was 
said that they were observing a new rule, without proper 
approbation. Honorius III. was then Pope, and he 
was asked not only to take away from the Religious the 
rule that had been given them by Albert in 1207, but to 
suppress the Order entirely. The Pope was disposed to 
accede to this request, and the Bull of Suppressed was 
about to be promulgated, when, in the night, the Blessed 
Virgin appeared to him and warned him to take under 
his special protection this Order, which bore her name; 
to honor and favor “ her Orderand to confirm the rule, 
the title and privileges. Upon awakening, Honorius 
assembled the Sacred College of Cardinals, related his 
vision and, in full consistory, gave his Apostolic appro¬ 
bation to the Rule of the Hermits of Mt. Carmel. The 
Bull was dated January 30, 1226. 

A very ancient picture may be seen in the Academy of 
Sienna, painted in the early part of the fourteenth cen- 




29 

tury by Pietro Lorenzetti, representing this confirmation of 
the Order of our Lady by Honorius III. This picture 
is especially interesting, as being the most ancient rep¬ 
resentation of the barred or striped mantles which were 
then worn by the Carmelites. Their mantle was origi¬ 
nally white, but as that was the color reserved for the 
use of the Mohammedan princes, it had to be changed to 
stripes of brown and white, four white and three brown, 
making seven in all. Later, when the Order was estab¬ 
lished in Europe, and the difficulty no longer existed, the 
original white mantle was resumed, much to the joy of 
the monks and the Europeans who thought the stripes 
rather unsightly.* 

It was during the administration of St. Brocard that 
the Rule was formally approved by Honorius III.; St. 
Angelus, whom the Saint had received into the Order and 
who became one of Carmel’s most illustrious children, 
was sent by him to Rome to obtain this approbation. 
When in Rome on this important mission, Sf. Angelus 
preached the Gospel with great zeal, and the hagiogra- 
phers of the Order relate, that when there he met St. 
Dominic and St. Francis, and these three glorious sons of 
holy Mother Church conversed together on divine things. 
St. Angelus predicted to St. Francis the stigmata he was 
to receive, while St. Francis, in turn, warned St. Angelus 
of his approaching martyrdom, which took place, as he 
was returning home to the holy mountain, on the island 
of Sicily, in 1220. (A little picture, very precious in 


* It was this peculiar mantle that caused the Carmelites to be called, in France, 
“ les barres,” “ barrati,” “radiati,” “ stragulati,” and in Germany, “ strepetitii.” 
At Valenciennes, the gate of the city, near the part occupied by the Carmelites, was 
called the “ Porte des barres,” and the Monastery established by St. Louis at Paris 
was foi* a long time called “ Couvent des barres. 



30 


Carmel, represents these three great saints of three glo¬ 
rious Orders, conversing together in an ecstasy of love.) 

St. Brocard did not long survive his beloved son, he 
died on the 2nd of September, 1230, at the age of eighty 
years, and was interred on Mt. Carmel, where his tomb 
* may yet be seen. Before his death, he assembled his 
brethren about him and said these memorable words, 
which are treasured in the Order as a precious heirloom 
—“ My sons, God by his providence has called us to the 
Order and number of hermits, and by His special favor 
we are named the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 
take care after my death to render yourselves worthy of 
so beautiful a title. Be steadfast in good, abhor riches, 
despise the world, and walk in the footsteps of Mary and 
Elias.” 

St. Brocard was succeeded by St. Cyril,, of Constan¬ 
tinople. This saint was looked upon as a wonder in all 
branches of learning, he excelled in Philosophy and 
Theology and has left several works to the Church. 
He converted the Sultan of Iconium, and baptized him 
with great solemnity on the Feast of Easter. Disputes 
arose at this time between the Byzantine Patriarch and 
the saint, regarding the Procession of the Holy Ghost. 

Cyril was steadfast in maintaining the teaching of the 
Church, and wishing to keep himself free from the errors 
of the Greeks; warned by the Blessed Virgin in his 
sleep, he retired to Mt. Carmel to lead the life of a 
hermit. He was deemed worthy of divine revelations. 
Once, on the 21st of October, the Feast of St. Hilarion, 
he had a vision while celebrating Mass. An angel 
brought him two silver tablets on which were inscribed 


3 * 


in Greek characters, under eleven heads, the future state 
of the Church, and the persecutions about to come upon 
her. The angel said to him: “ The Almighty God hath 
sent these tablets to thee, that thou mayest transfer this 
writing to parchment and that, after thou hast melted the 
silver tablets, thou mayest make of them a chalice and a 
censer with which to offer sacrifice to God.” * 

After admirably ruling his Order for twenty-seven years, 
he died on the 6th of March, 1233. He predicted the 
transmigration of the Order to the West. 

Berthold II. was elected to succeed him, and it was 
during the administration of this new Prior-General that 
two Carmelites, Peter of Corbe, and his companion, went 
into Europe and made a foundation at Valenciennes. 
Joachim Tuepin gave them place in the quarter of the 
Tanners, where they built a church and Monastery in 
honor of our Lady. 

The state of the Holy Land was becoming more and 
more terrifying. In 1237, the Saracens, after having 
defeated the Christians, made several inroads into Pal¬ 
estine, spreading everywhere terror and destruction. The 
Religious, especially those who lived in the deserts, suf¬ 
fered much, and some among them proposed to leave the 
Holy Land and establish themselves in Europe. Ber¬ 
thold II. assembled a general chapter on Mt. Carmel and 
the question was debated, but opinions differed. The 
Prior-General then ordered public prayers, and after 
weighing all the reasons for and against, he granted 
to some of the Religious, permission to go and found 
Convents in their several countries. 


* Saints of Carmel, p. 71. 



3 2 


The Cyprians went to their island and built a Monas¬ 
tery in the solitude of Frontaine. The Sicilians went, the 
same year, to Sicily, and erected a Monastery in one of 
the suburbs of Messina. The Religious from Provence 
went to Aigualates, a league from Marseilles, and estab¬ 
lished a Monastery in the desert. 

Berthold died in 1240 and was worthily succeeded by 
Alan, a Breton. The transmigration continued; some 
of the hermits stopped in Italy, others went to England, 
where the Order had already been established before 
1212, during the reign of John Lackland. They had 
been received with the greatest respect, being brought 
thither by two English knights, Lord John Vesey and 
Lord Richard Grey. These Christian noblemen built 
Monasteries for them, the first, that of Holm, in North¬ 
umberland, was founded by Lord John ,Vesey, and the 
second, that of Aylesford, Kent, owed its origin to 
Lord Richard Grey. These Monasteries became very 
celebrated, that of Aylesford, especially, and the odor 
of their virtues spread far and wide. 

But while the Order gained increase in the West, it 
sustained great losses in the East. After the victory 
of October 17, 1244, when the Saracens overcame the 
united forces of Christendom, no one dared approach 
the Holy Sepulchre, and the hermits of Carmel, who, 
until that time, had subsisted on alms, were reduced to 
the utmost misery. They left their Monastery to return 
to Phenicia, and the blessed Alan, leaving Hilarion as 
Vicar, (on the holy mountain) went to England and 
assembled a general chapter at the Monastery of Ayles¬ 
ford, where he resigned his office. 


33 


St. Simon Stock was chosen general in his place. 
This illustrious saint of Carmel was one of the first 
Englishmen to join the Order in England. He had 
lived for many years secluded in a dense forest, in the 
hollow trunk of an oak, whence he received his surname 
of Stock. He had extraordinary love for the Holy 
Mother of God and she revealed to him, that religious 
men, who were much devoted to her, would come from 
the East, and that he was to join them. 

When the Carmelites arrived, St. Simon at once recog¬ 
nized them to be the Religious referred to by our Lady, 
and he asked to be received among them. After his 
profession, he was sent to the University of Oxford to 
study Theology, and while there, he was ordained Priest. 
Soon after, he went to Mt. Carmel, where he lived the 
life of a hermit for six years. 

Under his government as Prior-General, the Order 
increased rapidly, especially after the return of St. Louis 
from his first expedition to the Holy Land. It is related 
in the history of Carmel, that this pious monarch an¬ 
chored his fleets in the Bay near by the Monastery, and 
that when the midnight bell for Matins rang out over the 
water, he inquired what it meant, and afterwards went to 
the church to pray. He was so impressed with the 
angelic life of the solitaries, which they still continued 
to lead in the caves of the mountain, notwithstanding the 
frequent incursions of the Saracens, that he believed he 
would be enriching France by propagating them through¬ 
out his dominions. He was not mistaken in his hopes, 
for contemporaneous authors state, that the deserts were 
peopled with innumerable angels, who lived in mortal 


34 


bodies as if lifted above the earth, and the cities called 
into their midst these new Religious, who became Apostles 
wherever the holy king established them. 

St. Louis continued to befriend the Order during his 
life, and after his death, the Carmelites of Paris received 
his royal mantle, which was preserved until the Revolu¬ 
tion in the Convent of the Place Maubert, where it was 
reverenced as one of the most notable relics of this 
great monarch. 

October 4th, 1247, Pope Innocent IV., who was then 
at Lyons, granted letters to the Hermits of Carmel ex¬ 
horting the faithful to aid these religious, who had been 
obliged to leave their home beyond the sea, to seek an 
asylum in lands free from the yoke of the Infidel. The 
Pope conferred many favors upon the Order, and granted 
ten days indulgence* to all those who would give alms to 
the religious, to aid them in their need. Just before this, 
in 1245, the Order had been classed as a Mendicant 
Order, and had received all the privileges of the other 
great Mendicant Orders of St. Francis and St. Dominic. 
Later, St. Simon Stock petitioned the Holy See for a con¬ 
firmation of the Rule of St. Albert, with an explanation 
of some obscure passages, and some slight modifications. 
This confirmation was granted on the 1st of September, 
1248, by Innocent IV., and the Rule continued to be 
observed by the whole Order until 1431. [It is the Rule 
observed to-day by the Discalced Carmelites]. 

About this time, 1260, many convents were founded in 
the Low Countries, under Henry III., Duke of Brabant. 
In 1267 they entered Scotland, and the first foundation 
was at Perth, where they occupied a chapel, given them 


35 


by Robert or Richard, Bishop of Dunkel. They after¬ 
wards had eight houses in different towns in that country. 

In 1272 the first two convents in Ireland were founded; 
one on the River Barrow, near Leighlin, in County Car- 
low, by the Carews, and the other at Kildare, by William 
Lord Vesey. At one time there were over twenty Carmel¬ 
ite Monasteries throughout Ireland, and Carmelite Bishops 
at different times ruled the Archdiocese of Dublin and 
Cashel. 

The Province of England was the most flourishing at 
that time. The Order had houses in almost all the prin¬ 
cipal towns of the country. At the time of the suppres¬ 
sion, by Henry VIII., England alone, without Ireland and 
Scotland, counted thirty-six monasteries. The Carmelites, 
said Gasquet, spread through the country as if an Order 
of native origin ; and the learned Benedictine adds: “It 
is remarkable how prolific the English Carmelites were 
in writers.” * 

. There is no doubt that the marvelous privilege of the 
Scapular, granted to St. Simon Stock at the Convent of 
Cambridge, contributed largely to the popularity which 
the Order, familiarly called “ White Friars,” then enjoyed, 
and the veneration felt for this great saint, favored with 
the gifts of miracles and prophecy, greatly aided the 
extension of the Order in England. The kings were 
most favorable to it, and Edward II., above all, loaded it 
with privileges. After a victory over the Scotch, attrib¬ 
uted to the manifest protection of Our Lady of Mt. Car¬ 
mel, he made a donation of his chateau at Oxford, which 
became a celebrated monastery. John Bacon, “ Doctor 

* Henry VIII. and the English Monasteries. London, 1889. Tom. 2, p. 240. 



36 


resolutus,” and Thomas Waldensis, two of England s 
most distinguished theologians, were Carmelites at Cam¬ 
bridge ; and Rohrbacher, in his great history, cites many 
others.* 

The Order, as has been seen, made rapid progress dur¬ 
ing the twenty years’ generalship of St. Simon Stock, who 
governed with great wisdom and sanctity. He was 
favored with the gifts of miracle and prophecy; he com¬ 
posed hymns, and published many wise rules for his 
brethren. Having been invited to visit the houses of the 
Order in France, he embarked for Bordeaux, where he 
died some months after his arrival, in the one hundredth 
year of his age. He was interred there in a church of 
his Order, and was soon honored among the saints. The 
Order continued to spread, and at the General Chapter, 
held at Montpelier, France, in 1289, it numbered nine 
Provinces, — the Holy Land, Sicily, Provence, Rome, 
Lombardy, Germany, France, Aquitaine, and England. 

But, while gaining so rapidly in the West, the persecu¬ 
tion continued without interruption in the East, and the 
Monasteries still existing in Palestine were destroyed, one 
by one. From the year 1244 the Saracens had wrested 
from the Order those of Jerusalem, of the Desert, of the 
Holy Quarter and of the Valin, the Solitudes by the 
Jordan and by the Sea of Galilee. 

In 1267 the Order lost the Convent of Antioch and 
the Monasteries, together with the Grottoes of Syria; and 
when, in 1289, Melic Messor, Sultan of Babylon, raised 

* On the 16th of July, 1888, after three centuries of desolation, the corner-stone 
of the new Monastery of Wincanton was laid. The Novitiate of the Province is at 
London, in the Convent of Kensington. Wincanton is the scholasticate where 
earnest students give great hope of renewing for the Order its glorious past, and of 
serving the Holy Church as did their ancestors. Chroniques du Carmel , Aug.,1889. 



37 


the siege of Tripoli, its Monastery was also a mass of 
ruins. Beaulieu and Sarepta perished likewise. But the 
final blow came in 1291, when the prophecy of Isaiah 
xvi., 10, seemed to be renewed — “gladness and joy were 
taken from Carmel.” William Sannic, or Sanvic, who 
was himself a Carmelite, and an eye witness, thus relates 
the glorious end of his Order in Palestine : 

“In the month of May, 1291, the Saracens took Jean 
d’Acre, and more than thirty thousand Christians were 
killed or taken prisoners, without counting those who 
escaped the carnage, among whom I was one. Many of 
the Christians of Acre, Tyre and Tripoli saved themselves 
by sea. The enemy so devastated the City of Acre, with 
the celebrated Monastery of the Carmelites there estab¬ 
lished, that it became uninhabitable. Thence they went 
to Mt. Carmel, which was not far away, set fire to the 
Monastery of the Brothers of Our Lady, which I had 
left only a little while before, to go to Acre, and massa¬ 
cred all the Religious that they found there, whilst they 
were chanting the Salve Regina. This Convent had been 
frequently pillaged, but never wholly destroyed. It was 
thus that Carmel was exterminated in Phenicia, and by a 
natural consequence in the Holy Land.”* 

The Order continued to spread in the West, and about 
the end of the fourteenth century numbered 7,000 Con¬ 
vents and 180,000 Religious. During this time lived some 
of Carmel’s greatest saints. 

St. Albert of Sicily, whose history will be given later, 
in connection with the great devotion to St. Albert’s 


*Acta Sanctorum, Tom. III., mois de mai au commencement, Chap. VIII., 
p. 63, No. 257. 



blessed water. He died at the Convent of Messina in 
the year 1306. 

St. Andrew Corsini, of the illustrious family of Corsini, 
who was Prior of the Convent of Florence in 1306, and 
was made Bishop of Fiesoli by the unanimous vote of 
the Chapter of that city. He died January 6, 1375. 
Florence and the neighboring cities hold his memory in 
great veneration, and have often experienced his powerful 
protection. Some time after his death, in 1440, the Duke 
of Milan declared war on Eugenius IV., then reigning 
Pontiff, and the Florentines, who had granted him an 
asylum. The people put all their confidence in God, and 
went en masse to the church where the body of their 
holy Bishop reposed. Before long the blessed Andrew 
appeared to a young man, and said to him: “ Go find 

those who command your army, and say to them from 
me, ‘ The same God, who saved Israel from the hands of 
Pharoh, will break the strength of your enemies; do not 
fear to fall into their hands, because God will disperse 
their numbers.’ ” The magistrates of Florence, encour¬ 
aged by these words, commenced to do battle, and a 
signal ictory was the fruit of their faith. Pope Benedict 
XIV., om whose account these details have been taken, 
said that the Florentines, who had to encounter discip¬ 
lined troops, ten times as numerous as themselves, lost 
only ten men in the engagement.* 

In gratitude for such a wonderful favor, Pope Eugenius 
IV., at the solicitation of the Cardinals, the Senate and 
the people, went to the Church of the Carmelites to offer 


Tom. IV. De Servorum Dei Beatificatione, Lib. IV., Part I., Chap. XXXII. 
No. 7. 



39 


solemn thanksgiving to God. The body of the saintly 
Bishop was exposed, with candles and incense, and the 
vast multitude made the vaults ring with cries of “ St. An¬ 
drew, pray for us 1 ” From this time, the Bishop of Fie- 
soli was considered to be inscribed on the catalogue of 
saints. Urban VIII., however, canonized him with great 
pomp as late as the 22d of April, 1629. Clement XII., 
who belonged to the same family of Corsini, built a mag¬ 
nificent chapel, dedicated to St. Andrew Corsini, in the 
Church of St. John Lateran at Rome. 

The third great saint of this period of the Order was 
St. Peter Thomas, born in the Province of Aquitaine in 
1305. He entered the Monastery of Condom. In the 
General Chapter held at Milan, in 1345, he was named 
Procurator General of the Order. He received the title 
of doctor at Paris, and was made Bishop of Patti, Arch¬ 
bishop of Candia and Patriarch of Constantinople. Popes 
Clement VI. and Innocent VI. charged him with many 
important legations. He was sent to the Court of Louis, 
King of Pouille, to the Emperor Charles IV., and to John 
VI., Emperor of Constantinople, and this city he recon¬ 
ciled to the See of Rome. In 1365 he was made Legate 
of the Holy See, and sent to preach the crusade against 
the Turks. He blessed the fleets of the Crusaders amid 
repeated cries of “ Live, Peter of Jerusalem ! ” “ Live, the 
King of Cypress against the Saracens ! ” Thanks to the 
prudence and prayers of Peter Thomas, the army of the 
Infidels was routed, and the City of Alexandria taken on 
October 4, of the above-mentioned year, 1365. 

This great saint had an exceeding love of his Order, 
and used to pour forth many prayers to God for its pres- 


4 o 


ervation during such troublous times. Once, upon the 
night of Pentecost, when he was imploring this favor 
with greater earnestness, the Blessed Virgin honored him 
with this wonderful answer: “ Have confidence, Peter; 

the Order of Carmelites is destined to endure unto the 
end of the world; for Elias, the founder thereof, hath 
already, long since, gained this favor from my Son.”* 
The full account of this vision, which has brought such 
consolation and strength to the whole Order of Carmel, 
may be found in a dissertation added to the life of the 
saint, and published at Antwerp in 1659.t 

He died in Famagusta and was buried in the Church of 
the Carmelites in that city. He is especially invoked 
against pestilence and epidemics. In the allocution pro¬ 
nounced by Benedict XIV. in 1744 at the Chapter 
General of the Carmelites, the illustrious Pontiff affirmed, 
that his native city of Bologna was under great obligation 
to B. Peter Thomas, the ornament of Carmel,—“ Car- 
melitanum alumnum et ornamentum —because it was 
owing to his care that peace was established between 
Pope Urban V. and the Viscount Barnabas, and also be¬ 
cause he was the first to have theology taught in the 
Academy of Bologna, already so famous for its learning.! 

To return to the history of the Order, — in 1306 a gen¬ 
eral chapter was held at Toulouse and it was decreed, that 
the Order should celebrate, with great solemnity, the 
Feasts of the Most Holy Sacrament and of the Conception 
of Our Lady. 

* Carmelite Breviary, Feb. 15. 

t VitaS. Petri Thomasii scripta ab oculsato teste Philippo Mazzerio cancellario 
Cypri et a Godefrido Henschenio Societati Jesu illustrata Antverpiae, 1659. 

% Bullarium Carmelitanum, Tom. IV., p. 326. 



4 1 


Rev. John Bacon, a Carmelite, who died in 1346, re¬ 
lates that every year, according to a custom that had 
existed before the time of his writing, the Roman Court 
went with the College of Cardinals on the Feast of the 
Conception to the Church of the Carmelites at Rome, 
and there assisted at a chanted mass and a sermon rela¬ 
tive to the occasion.* 

In 1322 a great privilege was conferred on the Order 
by our Lady herself. Pope John XXII. was noted for his 
devotion to Mary. It was under his Pontificate that the 
universal custom of reciting the Angelus was established. 
He granted indulgences to those who pronounced the 
name of Mary and also for the recitation of the Salve 
Regina. He was favored with a vision in which the most 
holy Virgin appeared to him, demanded the confirmation 
of the Order of the Carmelites, and made the most ex¬ 
traordinary promises. It was after this vision he issued 
the famous “ Sabbatine ” Bull, by which he confirmed the 
privilege accorded to the Religious and to the Brothers 
and Sisters of our Lady of Mt. Carmel, regarding the 
fires of Purgatory, which will be fully explained later on 
in connection with devotion to the Scapular. About this 
same time, in the fourteenth century, a terrible pestilence 
swept over Europe, and it became well-nigh impossible to 
live, according to the rigid severity of primitive monasti- 
cism. The Carmelites had lost many hundred members 
during the pestilence, and as the severe rule of St. Albert 
was still observed, no new subjects presented themselves 
for admission. The Rule enjoined perpetual abstinence 
and fasting for the greater part of the year, and this 


* P. Daniel de la Vierge Marie Speculi Carmelitani, Pars. II., p. 262, No. 1081. 



4 2 


severity was considered a hindrance for the advancement 
of the Order at that time. A general Chapter was held at 
Chambery, at Savoy, in the year 1430, the Superiors con¬ 
sulted together, and it was judged necessary, in order to 
preserve the Order, to petition the Holy See for a dispen¬ 
sation from some few points of the Rule. John Facy, the 
twenty-third General, presented this petition, and after 
having examined it several times, Eugenius IV. issued a 
Bull, by which the Primitive Rule of the Carmelites was, 
in part, dispensed. The abstinence, instead of being per¬ 
petual, was restricted to three days of the week, and the 
number of fast days was lessened; the Religious were 
also not obliged to such strict retirement in their cells, 
but were allowed to remain in their churches and to walk 
in the cloisters. The Pope further declared that the 
Order lost none of its former privileges because of these 
alleviations, but that the Religious were to enjoy all the 
privileges, indulgences, immunities, liberties, exemptions, 
protections, and prerogatives previously accorded them. 
This Bull was favorably received, and the Order soon in¬ 
creased in numbers. It is a remarkable fact, however, 
that attempts at reform began almost immediately. The 
Bull of the Mitigation was dated 1430, and the same Pope 
Eugenius IV. on September 3, 1442, gave the Bull 
“ Fama laudabilis ” to the congregation of Mantua for¬ 
mally approving their reform, and excepting the Religious 
from all jurisdiction of the Order except that of the Prior- 
General. This reform, begun in the Monastery of Mantua, 
extended to fifty other Monasteries of Italy. It was at 
Mantua that John Baptist Spagnoli entered and became 
one of its most illustrious sons. He was elected General 


43 


of his Congregation, and later Prior-General of the whole 
Order, which burden he accepted only by command of 
the Sovereign Pontiff. He was a great Hebrew scholar 
and left many works, most of them in verse. He was 
called “ the Mantuan ” and was regarded by his contem¬ 
poraries as another Virgil. His bust in marble, crowned 
with laurels, was placed by his grateful countrymen beside 
that of the author of the Hineid, who was also a Mantuan. 
After his death, the whole city poured out to visit his 
tomb and began to pay homage to his holy body, there ex¬ 
posed for veneration. This honor having been paid 
him unceasingly to the present day, Leo XIII. confirmed 
it by his Apostolic authority and ranked him in the num¬ 
ber of the Blessed. 

The main portion of the Order remained under the 
rule of the Mitigation until the time of Blessed John 
Soreth who, animated by a holy zeal for its reform, used 
every effort to bring back its ancient splendor, and from 
the time of his Generalship, all the general chapters that 
were held down to the time of St. Teresa, endeavored to 
find means to bring this about. 

Blessed John Soreth was born at Caen in Normandy, 
and entered the Order in his sixteenth year. He received 
the title of Doctor in Paris in 1441, and became Prior- 
General in 1451. He constantly refused the Bishopric 
and the Cardinal’s hat which Calixtus III. wished to be¬ 
stow upon him. For twenty years he labored to reform 
his Order, and to him is generally attributed the institu¬ 
tion of the Nuns, but authentic documents prove their 
existence in the Order long before. P. de Lezana says 
that a convent of Nuns of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. 


44 


Carmel was founded at Louvain in the time of St. Simon 
Stock.* 

In the Constitutions given by Pope Alexander IV., 
March 7, 1261, it is stated, that the Superiors of the Or¬ 
der of our Lady of Mt. Carmel could not be forced to 
accept the government of the Nuns of their Order , or any 
other Order, without a special command of the Holy See. 
In the Bull of Clement V., July 18, 1310, addressed to 
the bishops and archbishops of Germany, asking them 
to receive the exiles from Mt. Carmel, it is shown that the 
Order had Nuns who professed that rule, before the 
taking of Ptolemy. The Bull commences as follows: 
“ It has been shown more than once before us, on the 
part of our dear son, Gerard of Bologna, Master-General 
of the Brothers a?id Sisters of the professed of one and 
the other sex of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of 
Mt. Carmel, that the misfortunes of the time increasing 
beyond measure, they have been obliged to leave the 
asylum they had on the same Mt. Carmel, and to fly from 
the Pagans, who persecuted them.”f Moreover, John 
XXII., by his Bull Sanctorum Merit is, of July 8, 1318, 
granted indulgences to all those who visited the Church 
of the Nuns of our Lady of Mt. Carmel, at Messina in 
Sicily. These different documents prove on the one hand, 
the existence of the Nuns in Palestine before the emigra¬ 
tion of the whole Order into Europe, and on the other, 
their establishment in Europe after the emigration. It 
would be difficult to assign the reason of their extinction. 

Thomas Walden, who died in 1430, established several 

* Appendix to Annals, Tom. IV. 

t Bullarium Carmelitanum—Tom. II. Additio ad primam partem, p. VII. 



45 


Monasteries of the Nuns in England and may be called 
their restorer, and the same may be said of Blessed John 
Soreth. The manner of their establishment under his 
jurisdiction came about as follows. There existed at 
Gueld three Beguinages , united in one under the name 
of the “Ten Elsen ” towards the year 1400. These de¬ 
vout women lived in community, choosing one of their 
number as Superior, without being obliged to any par¬ 
ticular Rule. In 1452 they besought Blessed John Soreth to 
receive them into his Order, and he granted their prayer. 
He afterwards founded five convents, which he guided 
with the utmost care. He gave the habit to Blessed 
Frances of Amboise, Duchess of Brittany, and one of 
Carmel’s most illustrious saints. She was devout from 
her infancy, and, by a remarkable exception, received her 
first communion when only five years of age. While 
still a little child she was taken to the Court of John V., 
Duke of Brittany, and was put under the care of his wife, 
who was the sister of Charles VII., King of France. St. 
Vincent Ferrer was her spiritual guide. At the age of 
fifteen she married Peter, the second son of Duke John. 
Upon the death of Francis, the elder brother, Peter and 
his wife inherited the dukedom by the will of John 
V. The virtues of Frances shone yet brighter on the 
throne; she banished worldly pleasures and revelry from 
the Court and gave more than half the day to prayer and 
works of charity. It is said that when Peter was dying, 
he bore witness to the holiness of Blessed Frances, by 
declaring before the nobles of his Duchy that he left her 
a virgin, whom he had received a virgin. Later she en¬ 
tered the Monastery at Vannes in Brittany, which she her- 


4 6 


self had founded, together with that of Couets. She was 
a shining light of perfect observance and of the most sub¬ 
lime monastic virtues. Her last words were those she 
was often in the habit of using, “ Now, see that God is 
loved above all things.” 

The Monasteries of the Nuns spread rapidly and in 
many places. They were founded at Astoga in Spain, at 
Namur, Vilrode and Brussels. That of Reggio in Italy 
was begun in 1485, by the Blessed Jane Scopelli. She 
put on the habit of Carmel in her own home, and wore 
beneath it a hair shirt, which she never afterwards took 
off. After the death of her parents she forsook her for¬ 
tune and took up her abode with a poor but pious woman. 
There she planned the foundation of a Monastery of 
Nuns of which she was afterwards made Prioress. She 
led a life of great perfection and was glorified by gifts of 
ecstasies, prophecy, and miracles. After her death her 
body was found free from corruption and there flowed 
from it a fragrant oil. 

About this time, in the fifteenth century, the Third 
Order of Carmelites, for devout persons living in the 
world, who wished to share in the spiritual benefits of the 
Order, was formally established and approved by Apos¬ 
tolic authority, though it had practically existed long 
before. Many Bulls were given in its favor by different 
Pontiffs, and it was enriched with numerous indulgences.* 

In 1548 a General Chapter was held at Venice. The 
heresies of Luther and Calvin were then raging, and the 
schism of Henry VIII. destroyed three provinces of Car- 

* An explanation of the Rule and practices, with prayers and Indulgences, may 
be found in “ Manual for Members of the Third Order of Most Holy Mary of 
Carmel and of St.Teresa. 





47 


mel, those of England, Scotland and Ireland. Fifty-six 
Monasteries were suppressed, and fifty thousand Religious 
were killed or imprisoned, exiled, or led away.* Among 
the martyrs and those who refused the oath are found 
many Carmelites. Mention is made of Brother John 
Pecock, who suffered at Lynn, Brother William Gybson, 
condemned to perpetual imprisonment, and Brother Law¬ 
rence Cook, Prior of Doncaster. The commission insti¬ 
tuted by his eminence the Cardinal of Westminster, to 
establish the authentic list of confessors of the faith in 
those terrible days, mentions others. Their library at 
London, which surpassed all tfie other libraries of the cap¬ 
ital for the quantity of its rare and ancient books, was 
burned. Its value had been estimated, in 1420, at more 
than ten thousand golden crowns, a considerable sum for 
those times. But the “earth is the Lord’s, and the plen¬ 
itude thereof,” and when Carmel was overwhelmed in one 
spot, it was only that God might raise it up and shower 
blessings upon it in another. 

It has been seen, how, when overthrown in Palestine, 
it flourished with new splendor in Europe; and now that 
it was persecuted in England, and suffered cruel losses 
elsewhere, through the troubles and heresies of the time, 
God destined its most brilliant light to arise, that He 
might not only bring back the venerable Order to its 
time-honored splendor, but might elevate it to a higher 
eminence than it had ever before attained. Teresa of 
Jesus was to revive in it the spirit of solitude and mortifi¬ 
cation, and in the strength of prayer and ardent charity 
accomplish what many Generals of the Order had hitherto 
been unable to effect. 


* For details see “Henry VIII. and the English Monasteries,” Adrian Gas- 

quet, O. S. B., Vol. II. 



4 8 


CHAPTER IV. 


ST. TERESA AND THE REFORM. 


ERESA OF JESUS was born of a noble Castilian 



1 family, in Spain, on the 28th of March, 1575* Her 
name, in the language of Scripture, signifies “beautiful 
beyond all.” Her marvellous life has been written many 
times, and by many famous biographers; by herself at the 
command of her superiors, and by the pen of a seraph on 
her flaming heart, which may still be seen incorrupt, 
pierced with a dart of love, sending forth thorns, and, as 
it were, still living for God, and for the Church, a life 
which breathes only the love of God and the love of souls. 
At the age of eighteen she entered the Carmelite Mon¬ 
astery of the Incarnation, at Avila, and, although the 
Primitive Rule was not in vigor in the Monastery, the 
Religious were nevertheless renowned for their mortifica¬ 
tion, their obedience, and their charity. There was a 
prophecy current in the Convent to the effect, that a great 
saint should spring from their midst, who would be called 
Teresa, and as there was another religious of the same 
name in the Monastery, and the prophecy was well known, 
the saint used to smile and ask, pleasantly, “ Which of us 
shall it be ? ” little dreaming that it was in reality herself. 
The twenty years spent in this Monastery, were for her a 




49 


preparation for the great work she was destined to accom¬ 
plish. Inspired by divine grace she commenced the 
reform of Carmel, and succeeded not only with the nuns 
but with the friars. Before her death thirty-two Monas¬ 
teries were established, seventeen of the former and fifteen 
of the latter; this she did without money or revenues, 
confiding in the providence of God alone. Not only was 
she deprived of all human aid, but she often met with 
resistance on the part of princes and ecclesiastics. Mean¬ 
while God blessed her labors, the vine which she had 
planted took root and bore abundant fruit. In the first 
foundation which she made at Avila, Teresa sought 
worthy souls to be the foundation stones of this spiritual 
edifice, and it was not without divine inspiration, that she 
chose four poor orphan girls, poor in the goods of this 
world, and without dower, but gifted with great natural 
ability, and with the richer dower of grace. 

After innumerable sufferings, it pleased our Lord to 
grant, that on St. Bartholomew’s day, August 24, 1562, 
under the pontificate of Pius V., in the reign of Philip II. 
of Spain, Fr. John Baptist Rossi (whose baptismal name 
was Bartholomew), being general of the Order — the 
Blessed Sacrament should be reserved and the new Mon¬ 
astery solemnly founded under the title of St. Joseph. 
As this glorious saint had, by his powerful protection, 
assisted Teresa in her work, she wished to offer him the 
first fruits of her labor. 

This Monastery was founded only a short time after 
the Turks had taken the Island of Cyprus and ruined the 
ancient Monastery of the Carmelites, which was the last 
to keep the observance of the Primitive Rule; so it may 


truly be said that this rule was always in practice in some 
part of the world. 

The Saint, in union with her companions, added sev¬ 
eral practices that seemed necessary for the more perfect 
observance of the Rule, and in her writings she explains 
her motives for so doing and gives a graphic picture of 
the state of the Church at that time, which is enough to 
stir the zeal of a loyal daughter of Spain and of the 
Church: “ In desiring the Foundation of the Monastery 
of St. Joseph’s of Avila it was not my intention to use 
such great rigor in exterior things, or to be without 
revenue; nay, I wished the house to be so established as 
not to want anything. But this I did as a weak and 
wicked creature, though certain good intentions influenced 
me more than my good pleasure.” 

“About this time I heard of the miseries of France, and 
of the disorders and havoc those Lutherans had com¬ 
mitted there, and how rapidly this miserable sect went on 
increasing. This afflicted me exceedingly, and, as if I 
could have done something, or had been something, 
I cried to our Lord, and implored Him to remedy so 
great an evil. It seemed that I could have laid down a 
thousand lives to recover only one of those innumerable 
souls who are lost in that heresy. But seeing myself 
only a woman, and so wicked too, and prevented from 
promoting, as I desired, the glory of God, I resolved to 
do the little that lay in my power, that is to follow the 
evangelical counsels with all the perfection I could, and 
induce the few nuns who are here to do the same, con¬ 
fiding in the great goodness of God, who never fails to 
assist those who leave all things for Him, that all of us 


5 1 


being engaged in prayer for the champions of the Church, 
the preachers and doctors who defend her, we might to 
the utmost of our power assist my Lord, who has been so 
much insulted by those for whom He has done so much 
good, that the traitors seem now to wish to crucify Him 
again, and not to leave Him a place whereon to lay His 
head.” 

The Saint speaks of the troubles in France, and not 
without reason, for the Kingdom at that time was inun¬ 
dated with fire and blood. In the single Province of 
Touraine the Carmelite Convents of Orleans and La 
Rochelle, together with a great many others, were devas¬ 
tated and most of the Religious perished, victims to the 
fury and cruelty of the Calvinists. 

Later, in the Book of the Foundations, the Saint wrote 
as follows :— 

“After four years—I think a little more—there came to see me, a 
Franciscan friar, Father Alonzo Moldonado, a great servant of God, 
having the same desires that I had for the good of souls. He was 
able to carry his into effect, for which I envied him enough. He 
had just returned from the Indies. He began by telling me of the 
many millions of souls there perishing through the want of instruc¬ 
tion, and preached us a sermon encouraging us to do penance, and 
then went his way. 

I was so distressed because so many souls were perishing, that I 
could not contain myself. I went to one of the hermitages weeping 
much, and cried unto our Lord, beseeching Him to show me, when 
the devil was carrying so many away, how I might do something to 
gain a soul for His service, and how I might do something by 
prayer, now that I could do nothing else. I envied very much 
those, who, for the love of our Lord, could employ themselves in 
this work for souls, though they might suffer a thousand deaths. 
Thus, when I am reading the lives of the saints, how they converted 


52 


souls, I have more devotion, more tenderness and envy, than when 
I read all the pains of martyrdom they underwent; for this is an 
attraction w T hich our Lord has given me, and I think He prizes one 
soul, which of His mercy we have gained for Him by our prayer 
and labor, more than all the service we can render Him. During 
this great distress, I was one night in prayer, when our Lord 
appeared to me in His wonted manner, and showed me great love, 
as if He wished to comfort me; He then said to me, ‘ Wait a little, 
my child, and thou shalt see great things.’ These words were so 
impressed on my heart that I could not forget them; and though I 
could not find out after long thinking what they could mean, and 
did not see any way even to imagine it, I was greatly comforted, 
and fully persuaded that the words would be found true; but it 
never entered my imagination how they could be.” 


Six months after this, the General, John Baptist Rossi, 
a man most distinguished in the Order, came from Rome 
to Spain at the request of King Philip II., and by order 
of Pius V. In his coming the saint believed the promise 
of our Lord to her to have been realized, for he author¬ 
ized her to continue the work of the foundations, and 
also, to found Monasteries of the Friars. 

She prayed God to raise up a soul to help her, and she 
did not have long to wait, for while she was at Medina 
del Campo, whither she had gone to found the second 
house of the Order, she met the two souls destined by 
God to become the corner stones of the new edifice. 
Fr. Antonia de Heredia was Prior of the Carmelites of 
Medina, and to him she confided her plans. This fervent 
Religious immediately entered into her views and prom¬ 
ised to embrace the reform himself, the other chosen soul 
was John de Yepez, a young Religious of great virtue 
now known as St. John of the Cross. 


53 


Fr. Antonio was a native of New Castile, where he was 
born, about the year 1510, of the illustrious family of 
Heredia. His mother was of the family of St Vincent 
Ferrer. At an early age he entered the Carmelite Order, 
and, when twenty-six years old, became Prior of the 
Monastery of Moralegia, and afterwards held important 
offices in the Order. 

Fr. John de Yepez, youngest son of Gonzales de Yepez, 
was born in 1542, at Fontibera, a small town between 
Avila and Salamanca in Old Castile. From his earliest 
childhood he had a particular inclination to piety, and 
several times experienced the protection of Divine Provi¬ 
dence, and the watchful care of the Blessed Virgin, for 
whom he ever had a marked devotion. At the age of 
twenty-two he entered the Carmelite Monastery of Medina 
del Campo, and there practiced the greatest austerities. 
He studied Theology at Salamanca, and was ordained 
Priest at the age of twenty-four. When he met St. 
Teresa at Medina del Campo, she immediately recog¬ 
nized the treasures of grace his heart possessed, and 
unfolded to him her plans with her usual candor and 
simplicity. He understood her, and promised to join the 
good work if he might do so promptly, for his soul was 
longing for a more rigid life, and he had determined to 
go and join the Carthusians. 

St. Teresa lost no time, and having obtained the per¬ 
mission of the Provincial, and of the Diocesan Bishop, 
she founded at once the first Monastery of the Friars, in 
a poor little house, which had been given her for the 
purpose, at Durvelo. Thus was sown the tiny mustard 
seed, whence was to spring the mighty tree, upon whose 


54 


ever spreading branches innumerable souls would rest in 
contemplation throughout future ages. 

While Fr. Antonio was tall and portly, Fr. John of the 
Cross was very small of stature, and the Saint, whose 
sense of humor was irresistible, used to say, that God had 
given her a friar and a half to begin her Reform. The 
latter was the first professed, and the saint cut and made 
his habit with her own hands. The house at Durvelo 
was poor and very small. It belonged to a nobleman of 
Avila, Don Raphael, and was kept for the use of his 
bailiff, who received his corn rents there. In the Book of 
the Foundations, Chap. XIII., the Saint ■ describes it as 
follows:— 

“ We reached the house a little before nightfall, and the state it 
was in when we entered, was such, that -we could not venture to 
pass the night there, because of the exceeding absence of clean¬ 
liness, and of the crowd of harvest men. It had a fair porch, two 
rooms, one beyond the other, and a garret with a small kitchen. 

This was all the building that was to be our Monastery. I 
thought that the porch might be made into a church, the garret 
into a choir, which would do well, and the friars could sleep in the 
room. The nun w r ho was with me, though much better than I am, 
and very much given to penance, could not bear that I should 
think of having a Monastery there, and said to me, ‘ Certainly, 
Mother, there is nobody, however great his spirituality, who can 
bear this ; do not speak of it.’” 

“ The Father who was travelling with me, though of the same 
mind with my companion, the nun, did not oppose me when I 
told him of my purpose. We went and spent the night in the 
church, but, on account of the fatigue we had undergone, we could 
not pass it watching. When we reached Medina, I spoke at once 
to Fr. Fra Antonio, and told him what had happened, and that if 
he had the courage to remain there for a time, he might be certain, 
that God would soon help him, and that to begin was everything. 




I think I saw then what our Lord has done, and as clearly, so to 
speak, as I see it now, and even much more than I see at present, 
for at this moment, when I am writing this, ten Monasteries of the 
Barefooted Friars have been built, I told him, too, he might 
depend on it, that neither the late, nor the present Provincial (for, 
as I said in the beginning, their consent must be had) would ever 
give us leave, if we were seen living in a large house; besides, there 
was no help for it, and if they were settled in that little hamlet and 
house, neither the one nor the other would take any thought about 
them. God had given him a courage greater than mine, so he 
answered, that he would live not only there but even in a pig-stye. 
Father John of the Cross was of the same mind.” 

“ When I had obtained the consent of the two Provincials, I 
thought I wanted nothing more; we arranged that the Father Fra 
John of the Cross should go to the house and furnish it, so that, 
somehow or other, it might be gone into. I made all the haste I 
could to begin, because I was very much afraid that some hin¬ 
drance might arise, and so it was done.” 

“ The Fr. Fra Antonio had already provided some necessary 
things, we helping him as much as we could, but it was not much. 
He came here to Valladolid, to speak to me in great joy, and told 
me what he had got together. It was little enough; he had pro¬ 
vided only hour-glasses, of which he had five, and that amused me 
much. He said he was not going without provision for keeping 
regular hours. I believe he had not even wherewithal to sleep on.” 

“ The Father Fra Antonio has told me that, when he came in 
sight of the little hamlet, he felt an exceedingly great inward joy; 
that he thought he had now done forever with the world, abandon¬ 
ing all things and throwing himself into that desert.” 

“ Neither of them thought the house in any w r ay bad; so far 
from it, they looked upon themselves as settled in great comfort 
O my God, how little these buildings and outward satisfactions 
furnish for the inner man.” 

“ On the first or second Sunday in Advent of the year 1568—I 
do not remember which of the two Sundays it was, the first Mass 
was said in that little porch of Bethlehem; I do not think it was 
any better. In the following Lent, I passed by on my w T ay to 



56 


Toledo for the Foundation there. I arrived one morning; Fra 
Antonio of Jesus was sweeping the door of the church, with a 
joyful countenance, which he ever preserves. I said to him, ‘ What 
is this, my Father? What has become of your dignity? ’ He replied 
in these words, showing the great joy he was in: ‘ I execrate the 
time wherein I had any.’ As I went into the church I was amazed 
to see the spirit which our Lord had inspired there; and I was not 
the only one, for two merchants, friends of mine, who had come 
with me from Medina, did nothing.but cry, there were so many 
crosses and so many skulls.” 

“ I can never forget one little cross of w r ood by the holy water to 
which a picture of Christ, on paper was fastened. It seemed to 
cause more devotion than if it had been made of some material 
most admirably fashioned. The choir was the garret, which was 
lofty in the centre, so that they could say the Office in it, but they 
had to stoop very low to enter it and hear Mass. In the two 
corners of it next the church they had two little hermitages filled 
with hay, for the place was very cold, in which they must either lie 
down or sit; the roof almost touched their heads. There were two 
little openings into the church and two stones for pillows. There 
were also crosses and skulls. I understood that when Matins were 
over, they did not go back to their cells till Prime, but remained 
here in prayer, in which they were so absorbed that they went and 
said Prime, when the time came, having their habits covered with 
snow, but they did not know it.” 

“ They used to go out and preach in many places around, where 
the people needed instruction, and they gained so good a name in 
so short a time as to give me the very greatest pleasure when I 
heard of it. They went, as I am saying, a league and a half, and 
two leagues, barefooted, to preach—for at that time they wore no 
sandals, which they were afterwards ordered to wear, and that in 
the cold when the snow was deep, and when they had preached 
and heard confessions, came home very late to their meals in the 
Monastery: all this was as nothing because of their joy. Of food 
they had enough, for the people of the neighborhood around 
furnished them with more than they had need of.” 



57 


Their penances and austerities were such that the saint 
had to urge them to use moderation, fearing they would 
kill themselves and thus destroy the good work they had 
begun, but they made light of all their sufferings and God 
so blessed their labors, that the Order spread with a rapid¬ 
ity truly miraculous. 

Twelve years from that time a Chapter was held at 
Alcala, where there were present eleven Priors, all of the 
Reform, with their assistants, and the Commissary Apos¬ 
tolic published a Brief of Gregory XIII. constituting 
them a distinct province. This was shortly before the 
death of St. Teresa, and surely she had won the right to 
sing her “ nunc dimittis .” Her soul, impatient to be with 
God, could scarcely endure the martyrdom of her earthly 
life. Worn out with infirmities; subject to frequent ill¬ 
nesses, fevers and sore throat; wearied with continual 
journeys and labors, undertaken at the solicitations of 
great personages and the command of her superiors, she 
arrived at Alba September 20, 1582, and was immediately 
taken with her death illness. She died in the arms of 
the Venerable Mother Anne of St. Bartholomew, and her 
wonderful soul winged its flight to heaven, in an ecstacy 
of love, on the 4th of October, 1582. She was in the 
sixty-seventh year of her age, the forty-eighth of her 
religious profession, and the twenty-first since the com¬ 
mencement of the Reform. The year of her death being 
the one in which the Calendar was reformed by order of 
Gregory XIII., the 4th became the 15th of October, and 
for that reason her feast is celebrated on the last-named 
date. Her death was accompanied by many miracles. 
Her face appeared more beautiful than ordinary, her body 


58 


as white as alabaster, and perfectly flexible, while it sent 
forth a delicious perfume which could not be compared to 
any natural odor, and which filled the whole convent and 
lingered about everything the saint had touched or worn; 
so much so, that at one time the strange perfume was 
noticed about a writing desk, and upon examination a 
leaf of her manuscript, hitherto unknown, was found 
to be in it. 

Her writings have been translated into Latin, Flemish, 
German, French, Polish, English and Italian. They are 
found in libraries the world over, and there is no doubt 
that if she had been a man she would have received the 
title of Doctor of the Church — a title given her through 
courtesy by the University of Salamanca, of which she is 
considered the patroness. 

After her death her spirit lived in her sons and daugh¬ 
ters, and the reform soon extended to Italy, France and 
the Low Countries. 


59 


CHAPTER V. 


THE EXTENSION OF THE ORDER. 



'HE establishment of the Monasteries of Discalced 


1 Friars at Rome, is remarkable as having been brought 
about by the express desire of the Pope. This Monastery 
was the second of the Discalced founded in Italy, and 
was that of La Scala in Rome. The foundation was 
not deemed advisable by Rev. Fr. Elias, the Prepositor- 
General of Spain, because he thought it not wise to found 
anywhere but in Spain, as the austerity of the Order was 
such that he thought it could not be supported out of this 
kingdom, which produced bodies of a strong and robust 
cemplexion not found elsewhere. The King of Spain 
agreed with the General in favor of his nation, and also 
opposed the foundation of the Monastery. But the de¬ 
signs of God cannot be frustrated, and the foundation 
was brought about in the following manner. 

In 1596, Cardinal Pinelli, the Protector of the Order, 
asked the Superior of the Carmelites at Genoa to send a 
preacher to Rome, and in consequence, Ven. Fr. Peter of 
the Mother of God was commissioned to preach the 
Advent in the Church of the Holy Spirit. All the city 
was delighted, the Cardinals were charmed, and the Com¬ 
mander, Cardinal Tarugi, said to Clement VIII.: “Holy 






6 o 


Father, we have in this Religious an incomparable man, 
an extraordinary preacher; it would be well for the Church 
if Your Holiness kept him at Rome, and granted him 
place for a foundation.” Many others besought the Holy 
Father likewise, so that the Pope wished, at any cost, to 
propagate the Reform in Italy. He sent for Fr. John of 
St. Jerome, Procurator-General of the Order, to make 
known his intention, and asked how many Discalced Car¬ 
melites were actually in Italy at that time. The latter 
answered there were nearly thirty. The Holy Father 
replied at once: “ Very well, that is enough; two Dis¬ 

calced Carmelites began the Reform in Spain, and if we 
have thirty, that will suffice for Italy.”* 

The Pope then directed Cardinal Coma to give the 
Church of Our Lady de la Scala to the Religious, and 
this was done on the Feast of the Purification, February 
2d, 1597, and in a Bull, Sacrarum Religiomim, of the 
20th of March of the same year, he confirmed its estab¬ 
lishment and placed it directly under the jurisdiction of 
the Holy Apostolic See. In November, 1600, he issued 
another Bull, granting many privileges and explaining his 
motives for the erection of this new Congregation. The 
text of this brief is of profound interest, as it gives evi¬ 
dence of the esteem felt for the Order, and is as follows: 

“ As there is not another monastery of Discalced Car¬ 
melites in all Italy, except that of Genoa, We desire to 
establish at Rome the aforesaid Order. These Religious 
observe with exactitude, as well in Italy as in the king¬ 
dom of Spain, the Primitive Rule of the Order, and fulfil 
perfectly the end of their institute, of which the first and 

* Historia Generalis Fratrura Discalceatorum, Tom. I., p. 87. 




61 


principal part is prayer and contemplation, and the second 
the salvation of the neighbor, which they procure by their 
words and works, after the example of the Prophets Elias 
and Eliseus, and the other holy Fathers, of whom they 
are the imitators and the legitimate successors. We 
have, therefore, erected in their favor a house of their 
Order in the Church of Our Lady de la Scala, situated 
beyond the Tiber. But, beside the testimonies worthy 
of faith that have been given to us regarding the sanctity 
of these Religious, we know, by our own experience, how 
the holy Church of God receives each day the benefit of 
their pious exercises, their prayers, mortifications, austeri¬ 
ties, preachings, confessions, and administration of the 
Sacraments, which contribute much to the glory of God 
and the salvation of souls. Wishing to provide in a 
becoming manner, as far as lies in our power, for the 
increase of the said Order, by our own impulse, with clear 
knowledge, after serious deliberation and in the plenitude 
of our Apostolic power We erect and institute for per¬ 
petuity by the tenor of these presents.* 

It was about this time that the affair of the Foreign 
Missions was discussed. From their establishment, the 
Discalced Carmelites had shown on every occasion that 
they were animated with the spirit of their glorious Mother. 
Burning with zeal for the Divine honor, seeking martyr¬ 
dom at the age of seven years, it was fitting that she 
should count apostles and martyrs in desire or effect 
among her children. She relates in the Book of her 
Foundations that she could not read the lives of the saints 

* Magnum Bullarium Romanum, Tom, III., p. 99, and Bullarium Carmelitanum, 
Tom. III., p. 325. 






62 


who had made great conversions without being greatly 
moved, and she envied them more even than she did the 
martyrs. She tried to excite her children by every possi¬ 
ble means to the love of souls, and thus the spirit of the 
Mission awoke in the cradle of the Reform; from the 
heart of the mother it passed to the heart of the sons, 
and even before her death she had the consolation of 
witnessing the first departure for the Congo and Guinea, 
planned by Fr. Jerome Gratirn. This first Apostolic 
expedition went forth in 1582, and of the little group of 
missionaries four perished in a tempest, and were seen in 
a vision by the saint. Nothing daunted, new missiona¬ 
ries set out again, and succeeded in establishing in the 
Indies the Province of St. Albert, so flourishing, even to 
the present day. The Congregation of Italy was not 
behind that of Spain in its great desires for conversion of 
the Infidel, and during the pontificate of Clement VIII. its 
members went to Persia by his appointment. The Pope 
himself wrote to the Shah of Persia, saying that in order 
to make the new missionaries more pleasing to the people, 
it should be remembered that they had for their ancestors 
and founders the holy Prophets Elias and Eliseus, cele¬ 
brated among all nations and all peoples. The Shah had 
the letters of the Pope translated into the language of the 
country, and rejoiced at the esteem shown him by the 
Court of Rome. He assured the missionaries of his 
favor and protection, ahd gave them a large and commo¬ 
dious house, with permission to propagate the faith with 
full liberty throughout his dominions. May it not have 
been the intercession of the Persian soldier Anastasius, 
the great martyr, who in the time of Chosroes left the army 



*3 


to embrace the faith and put on the robe of a Carmelite, 
that, with the holy revenge of the saints, won this favor 
from Heaven and obtained that his brethren in religion 
should come, centuries later, to nourish the seed sown 
by his blood in his native land ? 

The first missionaries must have been angels in human 
form, for it is related of them that they travelled in their 
habits, at the peril of death, through Protestant Germany, 
schismatic and half-savage Moscovia, to distant Persia, 
attentive to each religious exercise, relaxing nothing of 
the rigor of their rule. Prayer and penance, walking 
hand in hand, the double spirit of Elias seeking the con¬ 
quest of souls.* 

The Pope was so pleased with their spirit, that he con¬ 
stituted Fr. Peter of the Mother of God, superintendent 
of all the Missions then instituted for the Propagation of 
the Faith in Infidel countries. Paul V. continued this 
charge to Fr. Peter, and after his death, to Fr. Dominic of 
Jesus and Mary, giving him the care of providing for the 
spiritual and temporal needs of the Missions of the entire 
world. Later, Fr. Dominic represented to Gregory XV., 
then reigning Pontiff, that one man alone could not pos¬ 
sibly fulfil so great a charge, and entreated him to estab¬ 
lish, according to a plan indicated by another Religious 
of the Order, the illustrious Thomas of Jesus, a Congre¬ 
gation especially charged with these affairs. The Holy 
Father graciously acceded to the request, and by his Bull, 
Inscrutabile , of June 22, 1622, instituted a Congregation 
of Cardinals and other Prelates, under the title of Propa¬ 
ganda Fide. Thus Carmel indirectly gave birth to the 


* See History of the Establishment of the Missions of Persia, by P. Berthold. 



6 4 


Propaganda , for the Ven. Fr. Thomas of Jesus was the 
first to develop the idea in his work, “ De procuranda 
salute omnium gentium .” When the project was realized, 
Gregory XV. chose Ven. Fr. Dominic as a member of the 
Congregation, and by his years of experience he greatly 
contributed to the solidifying of the institution. 

The Missionaries went from Persia to India and Suma¬ 
tra. Frs. Denis and Redemptor were the first to seal 
with their blood the apostolate of Carmel. The spirit of 
the Mission spread. In England and Holland apostles 
fought and fell in the Protestant persecution. The estab¬ 
lishment of the Missions in England dates from 1614. 
There were four stations, London, Canterbury, Worcester 
and Hereford, and from these the Missionaries went into 
the surrounding countries. An old manuscript chronicle 
speaks of continual persecutions, arrests and imprison¬ 
ments, but, in spite of all, these intrepid men persevered, 
and the house in London gained considerable importance. 
Later the Monasteries were sacked and the Religious dis¬ 
persed, but they always reorganized as soon as it was 
possible. 

There were also missions in Ireland, and martyrs there 
as well. In the work, “Our Martyrs,” by Fr. Dennis 
Murphy, is given the history of Br. Thomas Aquinas, 
a distinguished preacher and missionary put to death in 
1642. Br. Angelus of St. Joseph, and Br. Peter of the 
Mother of God, a lay brother, are also mentioned. Their 
sufferings were great, but to the end they converted souls 
by their zeal and devotedness. The Monastery at Dub¬ 
lin was changed into a theatre, and the Fathers scattered. 
The Missions in Ireland must have been extensive, for 


65 


when the Chapter of the Order was held in 1647, f° r the 
election of Superiors, three of the Religious were ex¬ 
pected, but only the Socius, Fr. Cyril of St. Joseph, 
arrived, and he narrowly escaped capture. He had taken 
with him the historical documents of the Province and 
the judicial acts relating to the glorious death of the 
friars, but was constrained, in order to save himself, to 
throw them into the sea.* 

In France Fr. Bernard of St. Joseph aided actively in 
the establishment of the Society of Foreign Missions. 

In Belgium the Seminary of the Missions was estab¬ 
lished at Louvain, and received from all the Provinces 
the young Religious, who felt especially called to apostolic 
• labors. The Missionaries were known not only in Asia : 
in Africa they went to Mozambique and Madagascar, 
and in America to Louisiana. Little is generally known 
of the Carmelite Missions which have flourished to the 
present day. In Malabar they have cultivated two vast 
Dioceses, they have formed an indigenous clergy, and the 
Seminary of Puttempaly, already nearly half a century 
old, has had the honor of forestalling the recently ex¬ 
pressed desire of Leo XIII. concerning the Seminaries to 
be established in India. The spirit of the Mission may 
be said to have awakened also in the daughters of St. 
Teresa, for a Missionary Order of Conventual Tertiaries 
has recently been established in India, and is doing 
immense good there, coming to the aid of the Mis¬ 
sionary by instructing the children and saving them 
from Protestant influence. There are flourishing schools 
for the natives of Trevandrum, Quilon and Tangacherry. 


* Our Martyrs, p. 46. 



66 


In the Diocese of Verapoly there are also three or four 
other Communities of Tertiaries for the education of 
girls, and also a Normal School to prepare trained Catho¬ 
lic teachers. The Apostolic Carmel in India cherishes 
the hope of founding in the near future a small house in 
England, to prepare subjects for these arduous Missions. 
There is need of English-speaking Religious to counter¬ 
act the influence of Protestant missionary effort, and of 
young women of superior attainments who may success¬ 
fully compete with the teachers in the subsidised schools 
of noncatholic origin. Surely this is a work after the 
heart of St. Teresa, and it is to be hoped that many will 
be found willing to consecrate their talents to the glory of 
God in such a manner, when they know how much there* 
is to be done The work received the special benediction 
and approbation of the V. Rev. Fr. Dominic of St. Joseph, 
Prepositor-General of the Discalced Carmelites, and was 
fostered by the fatherly care of the late venerated Rt. Rev. 
Fr. Marie Ephrem, Discalced Carmelite and Bishop of 
Trevandrum.* 

From the year 1582, the time of the departure of the 
first Carmelites, the Congregations of Spain and Italy 
contributed so largely to the work of the Foreign Missions, 
that it may be said that the Church is indebted to them 
for the number of Stations established in Infidel coun¬ 
tries to announce the Gospel. 

But, while the Reform of St. Teresa was lifting the 
flaming sword of zeal of the Prophet Elias above the holy 
mountain, the Religious did not forget that they were 
descendants of the Hermits, and that the spirit of solitude 


* Carmel in India. London : Burns & Oates. 






6 7 


was in a special manner their inheritance. Fr. Thomas 
of Jesus, one of the first and most illustrious sons of the 
Reform, made a profound study of the Primitive Rule, and 
reflecting that the Order, though it was essentially eremit¬ 
ical, as it had been so instituted by Elias and restored by 
St. Teresa, yet could not be absolutely so now, since its 
coming to the West, as the Holy See had seen fit to place 
it in the rank of the Mendicant Orders. He wished to 
find a way to embrace the two kinds of life, and so unite 
them that one might come to the aid of the other. 

To this end Fr. Thomas wrote a memoir indicating the 
plan of the Desert, by which there might be established 
in each Province a Desert or monastery of Solitaries, with 
separate hermitages, where the Religious could retire for 
a time, or for life, according to the attraction of the Holy 
Spirit, to reanimate their spirit, after the manner of the 
ancient Solitaries of Palestine and the Thebaide. The 
first Hermitage, or Desert, was established in 1592, near 
Pastrana, and, later, Fr. Thomas, being Provincial, founded 
the celebrated “ de las Batuecas .” The plan of life in 
the Desert is as follows: 

The number of Religious in each must not exceed 
twenty for the Choir, besides the Brothers for the work of 
the house. Ordinarily, the Religious cannot live there 
less than a year, and they must assist at all the exercises. 
All kinds of scholastic studies are prohibited. The prin¬ 
cipal end of the institution of the Desert is, that the Relig¬ 
ious may aid the Church and benefit all the faithful by 
their continual prayers, their vigils, their mortifications, 
and other pious works. In consequence, all the Masses 
are offered to God for the welfare of Holy Mother Church, 


68 


the spiritual advancement of the Order, for the obliga¬ 
tions and necessities of the Desert, and for the benefac¬ 
tors of the Congregation, and no alms may be received 
for these Holy Sacrifices. Silence is rigorously observed, 
and the Religious may only speak to the Superior in the 
Desert. Though the fasting is rigorous in all the houses, 
it is still more so in these hermitages. Besides the cells 
in the Cloister, there are others in the woods, separated 
from one another, and at a distance from the Monastery, 
to which the Religious are permitted to retire from time 
to time, and where they may live in still greater solitude 
and more rigorous abstinence. The hermits see no 
one, and live only on fruits and herbs very simply pre¬ 
pared. Each week the Fr. Prior visits the cells of the 
Religious, to see that all is well with them. The Deserts 
were found to be admirably suited to the needs of Carmel, 
and have been a source of strength and light to innu¬ 
merable souls. 





6 9 


CHAPTER VI. 


MT. CARMEL, PALESTINE. 


F OR nigh unto four centuries, since 1291, when the 
last martyr fell under the sword of the Saracen, 
Mt. Carmel had stood solitary by the sea, mourning 
the loss of her departed children, but God was prepar¬ 
ing a wonderful soul, who, like another Elias, was to 
spend his life in prayer and praise upon the holy moun¬ 
tain, once more to be peopled with the sons of Mary and 
of Elias. 

This chosen soul was Fr. Prosper of the Holy Spirit, 
whose wonderful life reads like a romance of spirituality 
and is worthy of special consideration. 

The re-establishment of the Primitive Rule, naturally 
inspired the Discalced Carmelites with the desire of 
returning to the land of their birth. This was not easy 
of accomplishment, for, from the time of the massacre, 
when the holy mountain had been depopulated, the con¬ 
dition of the Holy Land had been little improved. The 
system of feudalism constituted by the Saracens after the 
conquest, pressed heavily upon the people. The Emirs 
lived as nomads in their little domains, supported by the 
inhabitants, and making extortionate demands upon all 
who established themselves within their boundaries; they 




7 ° 


were taxed, themselves, by the Pacha of Damascus, who, 
in his turn, was a tributary of the Sultan of Constan¬ 
tinople. The central power, was, it is true, demolished; 
the battle of Lepanto dealt the first blow, which was 
followed by many others and the European influence began 
to penetrate the Ottoman empire. The ambassador of 
France could speak with power at Constantinople, and 
what was of more value (because by them one could 
get at the turbulent Emirs), the French Consuls living 
in the different cities knew how to make their protesta¬ 
tions heard. Thus, the Religious who would come to 
Carmel, might at least hope to find an opening. 

The vessels of the Knights of Malta were there to 
receive them kindly, and to protect the narrow coast which 
formed, with the two elevations of Carmel, the small fief of 
the Arab Prince Tarab or Tarabie; so, the enterprise, 
though surrounded with numerous dfficulties and great 
perils, was not absolutely impracticable to resolute and 
courageous souls. For this enterprise the Congregation of 
Italy could furnish worthy laborers. In 1603 there was 
question of it for the first time, when Fr. Peter of the 
Mother of God told the Sovereign Pontiff, Clement VIII., 
that the Missions of the Discalced Carmelites had been 
definitely resolved upon by unanimous consent, and he 
added, that they proposed to commence with the Holy 
Land and Mt. Carmel, but, as has been seen, the Holy 
Father said, “go to Persia,” and they went The route 
to Persia passed by Alexandria, and to gain this point, 
the shortest way was to embark at Genoa, at Venice, or 
Malta, and by so doing the traveler would, at each journey, 
double the promontory of Carmel. The zealous mission- 



7 1 


aries saluted the holy mountain with ardent and tender 
love, and several felt a longing to go and dwell there. Fr. 
Basil of St. Francis said he became a Discalced Carmelite, 
that he might-end his life upon Mt. Carmel, and in truth 
he did live and die there at the close of his missionary 
labors in Ispahan and Bassourah. Fr. Prosper too, who 
had been destined by Divine Providence for this work, 
sighed to begin his labors, but the time had not yet come, 
the long years of his preparation were not yet at an end 
and his desires were to be purified still further by patient 
waiting. 

Fr. Prosper was born at Nalda in Navarre. God favored 
him with graces from his earliest youth. At the age of eleven 
years, while at the College of Logrono, he heard several 
exhortations which treated of the hermits of the Thebaide, 
and which inspired him with so ardent a love for solitude, 
that he wished in the following vacation to go and dwell 
with his cousin on a neighboring mountain. The latter 
replied, “ and what will we have to eat?” “Are you troubled 
about that?” replied the young Prosper, “the same God 
that feeds all the animals on that mountain, will not forget 
those, who for love of Him, go away from all the occasions 
of sin, we will eat the plants that grow up there, and that 
will be enough.” “ That is not enough for me,” replied 
his practical cousin, “Well, it is for me,” said Prosper, and 
stooping down he began to eat the plants near him. 
It was the dawning of his future life. He made his 
novitiate at the Monastery of La Scala, and after his pro¬ 
fession, because of his marked attraction for solitude, he 
embraced the eremitical life in the desert of the Province 
of Genoa, commonly called the “Dovecote.” There he 


7 2 


applied himself to the consideration of the origin of his 
holy Order, and the admirable life led by the hermit saints 
on the holy mountain, saying often : “ Who knows but a 
dove will yet go from this Dovecote to build its nest upon 
Mt. Carmel.”* But he knew not that soon he was to be 
that chosen one. After numerous proofs and trials, by 
means of which God knows how to afflict and prepare his 
vessels of election; being missioned to Aleppo and then 
recalled and sent to Spain; and finally being ordered 
again to the Holy Land; after troubles with the natives, 
illness and almost insurmountable difficulties, all of which 
he bore with peace and tranquility of soul, he at length 
received the final letter from the Fr.-General, telling him 
to go at once to establish the Foundation on Carmel. This 
was in September, 1631. He then wrote at once to the 
Prince of Mt. Carmel, Emir Tarabei, saying: “I have 
received orders from the Roman Pontiff and my superiors, 
to ask your permission to dwell in your country and estab¬ 
lish myself on Mt. Carmel, especially at Kader or the 
cavern surnamed of St. Elias, the prophet of Mt. Carmel; 
to build there a house, to have a garden and other things 
necessary for human life.” All was accorded, ratified and 
signed by the Emir, November, 1631, upon the promised 
payment of a sum of money. In this important enter¬ 
prise, Fr. Prosper was aided by the devoted Franciscans 
of Nazareth, who received him into their house with warm¬ 
est hospitality and counselled him in every difficulty. 

On the 29th November, 1631, Fr. Prosper went to the 
cave of Elias and there offered the Holy Sacrifice with 
deep emotion. However, the victory was not complete, 


* Annales de Carmes, p. 600. 




73 


for the Greek at Damascus would not resign his act of 
possession until the promised sum of money was paid. 
Fr. Prosper immediately set out for Rome, where he 
reported fully the state of affairs. He arrived just at the 
Chapter of 1632, when Fr. Paul Simon, of Jesus Mary, 
was elected Prepositor-General. Six months later, Pope 
Urban VIII. by his Brief Circumspectct, established Fr. 
Paul Simon as Prior of Mt. Carmel, and prohibited all 
other Religious of any congregation or institute whatso¬ 
ever, from establishing themselves on the holy mountain, 
without the express permission of the Holy Apostolic See.* 
Since that time, December, 1633, the Prepositor-General 
of Italy has always taken the title of Prior of Mt. Carmel, 
and the resident Prior is called Vicar. 

Fr. Prosper then returned to the Holy Land, accom¬ 
panied by two other Religious, Fr. Philip and Fr. Felician 
of the Mother of God. The French Consul, Marc Doret, 
was most kind to him, and aided him to obtain the neces¬ 
sary patents. He remained at the Mission of Aleppo, for 
the Christmas festivals, and on January 1st, took his final 
departure for the Holy Land. 

On February 27th a Mass celebrated at the Kader, or 
Cave of Elias, formally inaugurated the installation of the 
little community of three on Mt. Carmel. But their trials 
were not yet over, one after another, they were visited by 
severe illnesses, and reduced to the extremity of want. 
God did not abandon his faithful servants, and the annals 
relate, that just when they were in their utmost distress, 
they saw the flag of a vessel, commanded by a Knight of 
Malta,— the members of this Military Order being at that 

* Bullarium Carmelitanum, Tom. II., p. 445. 




74 


time the police of the Mediterranean and the adjacent seas 
—and he had come seeking booty of the Mohammedans. 
Fr. Prosper sent word that there were on this mountain, 
two Discalced Carmelites reduced to the last extremity, 
and begged him to give them a little alms. The Knight 
sent word that if they would bring him a stone from the 
church which was on the height of the mountain, that he 
might place it in his own chapel, which he had at Mar¬ 
seilles in the Convent of the Carmelites, he would give 
them in return all they needed to live upon. The Fathers 
brought him the stone from the ruins of the ancient Mon¬ 
astery, destroyed in the 14th century, and he then filled 
a little bark with rice, lentils, dried peas, and other pro¬ 
visions, which he gave them, and afterwards set sail for 
another port. Surely he was commissioned by the Provi¬ 
dence of God to save the lives of the poor Fathers. 

They continued to live their solitary life in the midst 
of sufferings and perils. At one time Fr. Prosper lost 
courage and felt that he could no longer maintain his 
position, in the face of the repeated attacks of the infidels, 
and their demands for money. He left the holy mountain 
and went to Malta, where he sent word to his superiors 
to assign him to a house, that he might go there and die. 
On the following night he had a vision; the Infant Jesus 
appeared to him, as he is represented in the picture ven¬ 
erated on Mt. Carmel, and placing Himself on the right 
arm of the Religious, said: “ Prosper, wilt thou abandon 
us ? ” At these words the poor missionary felt his bitter¬ 
ness changed into an ineffable sweetness; new courage 
reanimated his heart with a great desire to suffer and die 
for God, and in a torrent of tears he replied; “ When and 



75 


where would I abandon Thee, O God of my heart?” and 
at the same moment he made a vow to return to Carmel. 
He took ship for Rome, laid the matter before the Propa¬ 
ganda, measures were taken immediately with the Governor 
of Constantinople, and an annual tribute was promised in 
exchange for his protection. Fr. Prosper then departed 
with new ardor, to find the Infant Jesus and His Divine 
Mother never to abandon them more. He crowned a life 
full of merits with a holy death on November 20th, 1653, 
and was buried in a tomb on the holy mountain. In the 
“Chronicles of Carmel” a most interesting letter has 
recently been published, it is written by a “ Pilgrim 
of Picardy,” a Jesuit called Adrien de Parvilliers, who 
was a native of Amiens. He visited Mt. Carmel in 
1652, the year before the death of Fr. Prosper, then 
seventy-eight years of age, and conceived the most 
tender affection for this holy old man, who received 
him with open arms and showed him the sanctuaries 
of the holy mountain. Fr. Adrien writes: “ He per¬ 
severed for long years in this mountain in continual 
prayers, fasts and mortifications, chanting day and night 
the Divine Office in the chapel of the Virgin at the regular 
hours, even though he was often alone, and fulfilling all 
the exercises of the monastery without fail, even to ringing 
the bell, for greater punctuality. Often he passed Advents 
and Lents in the most frightful deserts of the interior of 
Carmel, taking with him only a little dry bread for his 
nourishment, and whatever was necessary for saying 
Mass, on an altar he built himself with stones, placed one 
upon another, in a grotto unknown to men. There he 
sang the Divine Office day and night, offered mass without 




7 6 


a server, by permission of the Pope, and passed all his 
time in contemplation except that which he was obliged 
to grant for the repose of nature. 

It was marvellous to hear of the rude war that the devil 
made on him, to force him to leave his sojourn on Mt. 
Carmel. He was despoiled, beaten, tied to the trees 
many times by the Arabs, in danger of dying of hunger 
or heat in the ardors of the sun; but, in the end he con¬ 
quered all his enemies, and his reputation for sanctity was 
such, that the Christians, Arabs, Moors and Turks, called 
him the great, the venerable, the holy religious of Carmel. 
The Arab Prince esteemed him more than all the dervishes 
of his nation; and the Princess used to come from time 
to time, to visit the Chapel of the Virgin, with bare 
feet, and prostrate before the Altar of Our Lady, ask the 
blessing of the Father. It was beautiful to see the mari¬ 
ners of all nations and religions, bringing their offerings 
and their vows to the Chapel of Our Lady, which was 
hilled with large and beautiful candles from Dami- 
etta, Alexandria and Cairo.” Fr. Adrian brings his 
account to a close, saying that his love for the good Fr. 
Prosper was such, that he never would have done speak¬ 
ing of him. In 1655 Fr. Nicholas Poiresson, S. J., visited 
Mt. Carmel, and he also speaks of Fr. Prosper, who was 
then deceased, but whose memory was living in all the 
surrounding country. 

Mohammed Bey, Abou Dhahab, who in 1772 succeeded 
the famous Ali Bey, in the government of Egypt, declared 
war on the Sheik Dhaher. He made his appearance in 
Palestine, February, 1776, accepted the submission of 
Gaza, took and sacked Jaffa, and erected a pyramid with 



77 


the heads of the slaughtered inhabitants. Acre was given 
up to pillage, and Mohammed, after having devastated 
Carmel, despoiled the Church of all its treasures, put the 
Religious in irons, and decapitated three of them. The 
death of this tyrant by the pest, in 1776, gave the Reli¬ 
gious of Carmel and the Christians some relief.”* 

During the great Revolution and the existence of the 
Republic, Carmel no longer enjoyed the protection of 
France, and, to crown the misfortune, the Convent was 
crippled with debts. A merchant, who was creditor for 
a large amount, wished to sell the Monastery to the schis¬ 
matic Greeks, and would have succeeded but for the 
intervention of the Austrian Consul, Antonio Catafago, 
who went security for eight months. When Bonaparte 
laid siege to Acre, in May, 1799, Carmel opened her door 
not only to pilgrims and travellers, but also to the 
wounded and dying French soldiers. After the defeat of 
the French, the enraged Turks entered the Monastery, 
massacred the wounded, dispersed the Religious, broke 
down doors and windows, and left the holy asylum unin¬ 
habitable. Ahmed Djezza, Pacha of St. John d’Acre, 
continued the persecution. He left only the ruined walls 
of the Monastery, and, of the Community, only one Brother 
escaped, who took refuge at Kaiffa. 

About twenty years later, John Baptist Frascatti, a dis¬ 
tinguished Italian architect, who had become a lay brother 
among the Carmelites, was commissioned by the General 
of the Order to go and examine the condition of the 
Monastery on Mt. Carmel, with the hope of being able to 


* Biographie Universelle, ancienne et modeme, Tom. XIII., p. 141, Brussels, 

1845- 




7S 


repair it. The time was ill chosen, because of the revolt 
of the Greeks, in 1821. Abdallah Pacha, who com¬ 
manded the port, wrote to the Sultan, that the Monastery 
of Carmel could serve as a fortress for his enemies, and 
asked permission to destroy it; the permission was 
accorded, notwithstanding the remonstrances of the 
French Consul. Abdallah undermined the monastery, 
and Br. John Baptist saw the last ruins of the edifice he 
had come to restore levelled to the ground. 

From that time all the beautifully cultivated soil of 
Carmel became savage, and wild beasts soon appeared. 
Br. John Baptist returned to Rome, but without abandon¬ 
ing his hope. He went to Constantinople in 1826, and, 
thanks to the power of France, and the efforts of the 
French Ambassador, he obtained from Mohammed an 
official order directing the Pacha to rebuild the Monastery 
at his own expense, and at the same time permitting the 
reconstruction of the Church of Our Lady and the Hos¬ 
pice with the alms of the faithful. Br. John Baptist and 
Br. John of All Saints, authorized by the Holy See, imme¬ 
diately set out on a tour through Europe and Asia, every¬ 
where demanding alms in the Name of the Lord. God 
so blessed their zeal and energy, that, on the 14th of June, 
1827, that year the Feast of Corpus Christi, and also of 
the holy Prophet Eliseus, six years to the day from the 
devastation of the old monastery, they laid the first stone 
of the new. The Church aud Conventual Hospice were 
rebuilt upon the old foundations, and travellers and sailors 
again found there a tutelary asylum. 

In 1839, Gregory XVI. erected this Church, for per¬ 
petuity, into a minor Basilica, with all the privileges, 



79 


graces, pre-eminences, exemptions and indults enjoyed by 
other minor Basilicas, declaring that henceforth it should 
bear the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. 

Yet once more the monastery was menaced, as late 
as iS86. The German Lutheran Colonists, who had 
established themselves at Kaiffa, a small seaport at the 
foot of Mt. Carmel, assaulted the Religious with force 
and arms, breaking down the poor walls of the Cloister 
and using violence and artifice in their endeavors to gain 
possession of the holy mountain. The Fathers were in 
imminent danger of having their holy places destroyed 
for lack of money to pursue their rights in the courts, 
for, though the Lutherans had been officially declared in 
the wrong, still, backed by Prussian money, they were 
in hopes of winning. This time America had the glory 
of coming to the aid of the persecuted Religious and 
saving the holy mountain. The late James A. McMaster 
opened a subscription in the New York Freeman’s 
Journal, and sent, through the Rev. Mother Prioress of 
the Baltimore Carmel, a draft of $1,000 to the Fathers 
on Mt. Carmel. The pecuniary assistance thus obtained, 
enabled the Friars to bring their law suit to a successful 
issue, and averted the danger that threatened the most 
precious inheritance of Carmel. 

Carmel, by the sea, is still a fruitful vineyard, and all 
pilgrims who visit the Holy land, the captains of vessels, 
merchants and sailors, who anchor at the neighboring 
ports, never fail to visit the good Religious on the 
summit of the holy mountain, who exercise towards all, 
without distinction of religion, the most generous hos¬ 
pitality. 




So 


CHAPTER VII. 


CARMELITES CROSS THE PYRENEES. 


T HE English and American Carmelites trace their 
descent directly from St. Teresa, through the 
Foundations made by Ven. Mother Ann of Jesus in 
France and the Low Countries, therefore a glance at 
their history and a knowledge of some of the heroic 
souls raised up by God for them will prove of special 
interest. 

The introduction of the Reform into France was a 
most important event in the Order and was not made 
without overcoming innumerable obstacles. The ini¬ 
tiative of this great project may be said to belong to 
St. Teresa herself, for the thought of France occu¬ 
pied a large place in her heart, thirsting for souls, and 
even a year before her death it was known to her, for it 
is said, that Our Lord revealed to a devout soul “ distant 
regions where many souls waited the coming of Ann of 
Jesus to be converted by her aid.” * 

It is related also in the autobiography of V. Mother 
Ann of St. Bartholomew,! 

* Vie de la Mere Anne de Jesus R. P. Berthold Ignace de 
Sainte Anne C. D. Definiteur General. 

t Vie de la Ven. Mere Anne de Saint Barthelemy par 
Marcel Bouix, Liv. II. Chap. II. Paris, 1872. 







8i 


that one day our Lord appeared to her radiant with 
beauty, but profoundly sad, and said: “My daughter, 
assist me; see how many souls I am losing;” then he 
shewed her the whole of France and the thousands 
of souls lost by means of the heretics. This, sight filled 
the Venerable Mother with so great agony and such 
intense love of God, that it seemed she could not live, 
so ardent was her thirst for the salvation of these souls. 
For many years she suffered a martyrdom of 
charity, offering without ceasing her prayers and 
penances to God for the salvation of that unhappy 
country. This was long before there was any thought 
of having a Foundation in France. It was only after 
the death of St. Teresa, when the wonders accom¬ 
plished by her in Spain became more generally known, 
that the desire was awakened in France. But is was not 
until after twenty years of ardent prayers; of generous 
and constant efforts; with the union of the most power¬ 
ful personages, encouraged by revelations from 
Heaven, that the work was accomplished. 

In the meantime, the providence of God was pre¬ 
paring the soil for the good seed, which was to bring 
forth abundant harvest for His glory. 

On Feb. ist, 1565, a wonderful soul was born to 
France and to the Church; this soul was Barbara 
Avrillot, daughter of Nicholas Avrillot, Lord of Cham- 
platreux, and Marie d’Huillers, a member of one of 
the noblest families of France. She became Mme. 
Acarie, and later was beatified under the name of 
Blessed Mary of the Incarnation, Discalced Carmel¬ 
ite, and Foundress of the Order in France. In her 


82 


early youth she desired to become a Religious, but 
in obedience to her parents and fearing to go con¬ 
trary to the will of God, she married Pierre Acarie, 
Lord of Montbrand. St. Francis de Sales testifies 
that she became a perfect example of every Christian 
virtue for those living in the world. Her great and 
noble heart was broken at the sight of the wars, polit¬ 
ical and religious, that devasted her unhappy country, 
and when peace was at length restored, she could think 
only of increasing and spreading the worship of God. 
Apart from her own efforts and the money which she 
gave to adorn and restore the churches, she succeeded 
in establishing anew the Religious Orders in France. 
This shq brought about by her labors and by the 
great influence she possessed with leading men. 

M. de Bretegny, a noble and devout Christian, born 
in France, but who had passed most of his life in 
Spain, was devoted to the Order of Carmel, and for 
years had cherished the hope of the Foundation on 
his native soil. He looked upon this desire as a par¬ 
ticular vocation to which he was called by God. “It 
is my only occupation,” he was wont to say, “and 
all my glory shall be to further it as much as lies in 
my power.”* 

To facilitate this, he translated the works of St. 
Teresa from Spanish into French, in order that her 
spirit might become known, and Mme. Acarie, hearing 
of these books, sent for them and had just begun to 
read them, when towards the end of the year 1601 St. 
Teresa, shining and glorious, appeared to her in her 


* Vie par le P. de Beauvais. 




83 


Religious habit and warned her that God wished her 
to labor for the Foundation in France of the Discalced 
Carmelites. She related the vision to her confessor, 
who found in it all the marks of truth, and immedi¬ 
ately efforts were made to accomplish the will of God. 

Many difficulties arose and meetings were held to 
discuss the project. St. Francis de Sales assisted at 
them, and in the name of the Princess de Longueville, 
he wrote himself to Clement VIII. to recommend the 
Foundation. The following is an extract of the letter 
of this eminent saint and doctor of the Church: 

“Most Holy Father: 

Being at Paris, for the affairs about which I had 
the honor to write you a short time ago, I could not 
avoid preaching several times, not only for the people, 
but also before the King and Princes. On this oc¬ 
casion Madame Catherine d’Orleans, Duchess de 
Longueville, a Princess most illustrious for the no¬ 
bility of her blood, and what is more important, for 
her love of Jesus Christ, wishing to found at Paris 
a Monastery of Discalced Carmelites, has thought it 
well to unite me with several theologians of eminent 
piety and profound knowledge, requested by her to 
deliberate on this subject. We met together to this 
end during several days, and the matter being seri¬ 
ously examined, we saw clearly that the design had 
been inspired by God and would contribute greatly 
to His glory and to the salvation of a great number 
of souls. 

What remains to be done is, that this pious design 
should have the authority of the Holy See, and that 
its execution should be placed at the good pleasure 


8 4 


of the King, who, contrary to the expectation of 
several persons, immediately gave his consent. 

We, therefore, send the bearer of the present appeal, 
to throw himself at the feet of your Holiness and 
supplicate the granting of the Bull that is necessary to 
give to this establishment its existence and perfection. 

As for me, who have assisted at nearly all the meet¬ 
ings held in regard to this subject, although my 
testimony is not of great weight, I cannot prevent 
myself (and moreover I am bound to do so) from 
declaring as strongly as lies in my power, that the 
good of Religion demands that you authorize by your 
Apostolic Benediction this Foundation, inspired by 
Heaven, to the end that it may take place immediately 
and in Paris, where they have designed to make it. 

It is this which the virtuous Princess I have men¬ 
tioned and many others supplicate with me.” 

This petition, presented at Rome by M. de Sauteuil, 
the Secretary of the King, had the desired effect, and 
on the 30th November, 1603, Clement VIII. signed 
the Bull approving the foundation of the Carmelites 
in France. 

It was necessary then to decide who was to go on 
the Foundation, and this caused much discussion 
and many delays, for the Spanish General, as may 
easily be understood, was loth to part with the great 
Spanish Mothers, who had been the first fruits of the 
Reform and had imbibed the spirit of St. Teresa at 
its fountain source. On the other hand, Cardinal de 
Berulle and the others interested wished only the souls 
most renowned for their sanctity to be the foundations 


§5 


of so great a spiritual edifice as the Carmel in France 
was destined to become. 

At length, by command of the Nuncio, the General 
appointed to cross the Pyrenees and establish the 
Order in France the following Religious: Ven. Mother 
Ann of Jesus, whom St. Teresa had received into the 
Order “not as a novice, but as her co-adjutrix in the 
work of the Reform,” and who had already made 
several foundations in Spain, a Religious renowned 
throughout the Order for her gifts of nature and of 
grace; Ven. Mother Ann of St. Bartholomew, in 
whose arms St. Teresa gave up her soul to God 
and who was most tenderly loved by the saint and 
her constant companion; and four other Religious, 
Isabella of the Angels, Beatrix of the Conception, 
Isabella of St. Paul and Eleanora of St. Bernard, all 
souls of rare and tried sanctity, highly esteemed in 
the Order. They set out on their journey and for 
seven long weeks suffered many perils and hardships. 
They traveled in carriages and often had to walk on 
account of the dangers of the road, for the carriages 
were several times overturned. Mother Beatrix of 
the Conception related that when they left Irun, the 
relations of one of the Religious affectionately pressed 
them to stay a few days at her magnificent 
country seat. They had much need of rest and 
were inclined to accept the offer of hospitality, 
but V. Mother Ann of Jesus would not consent. She 
said to the French ladies who accompanied them: “If 
you delay one day, all is lost, because we shall be 
obliged to return to our monasteries.’' They imme- 


86 


diately continued their journey, and had hardly passed 
the frontier when they learned that the King of Spain 
had sent an order forbidding the Carmelites to leave 
his dominions. As they were no longer within his King¬ 
dom they went on their way. They arrived in France 
on the 15th October, 1604, the Feast of St. Teresa, 
and two days after, the eve of St. Luke’s, they entered 
the apartments prepared for them, while chanting the 
Psalm Landate Dominum, as was their custom in tak¬ 
ing possession. Three days later, the Queen and the 
Princesses came with a grand cortege to pay them a 
visit, and left them a generous alms. Their future mon¬ 
astery was soon begun. The Duchess of Nemours laid 
the first stone in the name of the Queen, Marie de 
Medicis; the Princess de Longueville and her sister, 
the Princess d’Estouteville, laid the second. Mme. 
Acarie and M. de Marillac, Guardian of the Seal, 
superintended the construction, which occupied two 
years. 

A number of distinguished persons soon entered, 
and vocations were so numerous that many other 
foundations followed in quick succession. The second 
was at Pontoise, with the V. Mother Ann of St. Bar¬ 
tholomew as Prioress. Shortly after, Dijon was estab¬ 
lished, and in 1606 it was followed by that of Amiens. 
It was to Amiens that Mme. Acarie retired as a lay 
sister, taking in Religion the name of Mary of the 
Incarnation. Three of her daughters became Car¬ 
melites and Prioresses of different houses. She died 
in the odor of sanctity at Pontoise, April 18th, 1618, 
in the 52d year of her age. She was beatified by Pius 





8 7 


VI. in 1791. The ceremonies preliminary to her beati¬ 
fication were unusual and remarkable. On October 
15th, the Feast of St. Teresa, 1788, the Sovereign Pon¬ 
tiff Pius VI. went himself with great ceremony to the 
Carmelite Monastery of the Four Fountains at Rome 
for the publication of the Decree regarding her heroic 
virtues. He was accompanied by the Cardinal Duke 
of York, Postulator of the Cause; Cardinal Archinto, 
Prefect of the Congregation of Rites, the Promoter 
of the Faith, the Protonotary Apostolic and a number 
of other Prelates. The Pope having celebrated mass, 
entered the enclosure of the monastery with his attend¬ 
ants, and seated upon a throne erected in the choir of 
the Religious, ordered the reading of the Decree. 
Later the Decree of Beatification appeared, which be¬ 
gan as follows: 

“If the multiplied wounds inflicted upon the Church 
in France have torn the paternal heart of Our Holy 
Father, Pius VI., the same Kingdom offers him great 
consolation in the venerable servant of God, Mary of 
the Incarnation, who, in the judgment about to be 
proclaimed, has been found worthy of the honors re¬ 
served to the inhabitants of the Heavenly Country . . . 
We have reason to hope in the Lord that, in ordaining 
for her public veneration, her nation by rendering her 
homage and imitating her virtues, may draw down the 
abundant fruits of her protection and obtain from 
Heaven that Religion there may return to its primi¬ 
tive purity.” 

In truth, the Blessed Mary must have interceded in 
Heaven for the good of the nation she so dearly loved, 


88 


for the Order of Carmel spread with a rapidity that 
may be called miraculous. In fifty years, from 1604 
to 1654 (the date of the Foundation of Angouleme), 67 
monasteries of the Nuns were founded in all the principal 
cities and towns of France. 

It would have seemed necessary, humanly speak¬ 
ing, that V. M. Ann of Jesus should have remained 
in France for some time, to nourish the tender vine 
planted upon foreign soil, and to instill into all hearts 
the spirit of St. Teresa; but God, who could give the 
increase by Flis own power, had other designs for her. 
Fler journeys and her labors were not yet over. After 
making her third Foundation within two years, she 
was summoned to plant the seed in another chosen 
vineyard. In 1606 the Infanta Isabella, who, with her 
consort, Albert, ruled over the 1 Netherlands, made 
pressing solicitations to obtain the Descalced Carmel¬ 
ites in her dominions. She sent for M. de Bretigny 
and urged him to do all in his power to bring this 
about. .She wrote herself a most pressing letter to V. 
Mother Ann of Jesus, whom she had known in Mad¬ 
rid, asking her to undertake the Foundation, and 
promising to do all in her power to aid the Religious. 
After having read the letter, the Ven. Mother declared 
her willingness to grant the request, when she would 
be assured of the consent of her Superiors. 

This was willingly obtained, and the Nuncio of 
Brussels having approved the introduction of the Re¬ 
ligious into the Low Countries, the negotiations were 
speedily and happily terminated. 





s 9 


The Venerable Mother Ann, with six Religious, ar¬ 
rived in Brussels and was taken at once to the Palace, 
where a number of the nobility were in waiting. 
From the ante-chamber they were conducted by three 
ladies of honor to the Serenissima Infanta, who re¬ 
ceived them, literally, with open arms, for she would 
not allow the Venerable Mother to kiss her hand, as 
was the custom of the Court, but embraced her and 
pressed her tenderly to her heart, begging her to lift 
her veil and to tell her the names of all the Religious 
who were with her. The Archduke also joined in the 
conversation, and the interview lasted for an hour. 
The Religious were then conducted to the house pre¬ 
pared for them near the Palace. They entered chant¬ 
ing the Landate Dominum, and took possession on 
January 22, 1607, the Feast of St. Anastasius, a mar¬ 
tyr of the Order. Three days later, the Feast of the 
Conversion of St. Paul, took place their canonical in¬ 
stallation in the temporary monastery. The Apostolic 
Nuncio, Mgr. Dece Caraffa, afterwards Cardinal, 
chanted the mass in the presence of the Archduke and 
his Court, together with all the Prelates then at Brus¬ 
sels, the Magistrates and the nobility. The Court 
Preacher, Dorn Bernard de Montgaillard, of the Ordei 
of St. Bernard, who later became Abbe d’Orval, de¬ 
livered the discourse. After the mass the enclosure 
was sealed: The Archduke furnished the Sacristy 
with royal munificence, giving all that was necessary 
for the ceremonies of divine worsip. 

Two months later, the announcement of another 
ceremony assembled all the population of Brussels. 



9 o 


Albert and Isabella, not content with bringing the 
Religious to the city and placing them in a house 
which could absolutely have been made to suffice for 
their use, wished to build a monastery exactly con¬ 
forming in every particular to the Rules laid down by 
St. Teresa. The Feast of the Annunciation was the 
day appointed for the laying of the corner stone. The 
account of the ceremony given in the life of V. Mother 
Ann of Jesus is full of interest. Three large platforms 
had been erected, covered with rich carpet. The one 
on the right was occupied by Albert and Isabella, with 
the ladies of the Court, the Apostolic Nuncio, the 
Duke of Aumale and d’Ossuna and members of the 
nobility. In front of the platform were the Magis¬ 
trates of the city and the officers of the Army, and 
drawn up in line surrounding the vast enclosure were 
the Cavaliers and the Life Guards, forming a wall to 
leave space for the procession. Behind them pressed 
an immense multitude anxious to see and full of 
sympathy. 

When all was ready, His Grace, Mathias Horius, 
Archbishop of Mechlin, blessed the stone, on which 
was cut an inscription giving the date and title of the 
Monastery, and stating that it was the gift of Albert 
and Isabella. The stone was then carried in proces¬ 
sion to the spot prepared, their Highnesses following. 
Arrived at the place, the Infanta knelt on the bare 
ground, and in a short and fervent prayer, offered the 
Church and Monastery they were about to build to 
God, to the Blessed Virgin and their Saints and 
Patrons. Rising, she laid the stone, using a golden 






9 1 


trowel. The Archduke then approached, fastened it 
firmly with some blows of a golden mallet, and the 
procession continued around the foundations, while 
the choir sang hymns of praise and thanksgiving. The 
ceremony ended with the blessing given by the Arch¬ 
bishop, who granted to all present an indulgence of 
forty days. The workmen immediately continued the 
building, which was in every detail according to the 
spirit of St. Teresa. The Archduke himself superin¬ 
tended its construction, consulting the constitutions 
of the Order and taking counsel with V. Mother Ann 
of Jesus. All grandeur was avoided; the rooms were 
low, the cloister of modest proportion, and all bore 
the seal of piety and religious simplicity. The Church 
was most beautiful and richly adorned, as is permitted 
in the Order, for the dwelling place of the Most High; 
but the Monastery was poor and plain, as was befit¬ 
ting for Religious. Notwithstanding all efforts, it was 
not completed for four years, and in 1611, the eve of 
the Feast of St. Joseph, the ceremonies of installation 
took place. The Apostolic Nuncio made the trans¬ 
lation of the Blessed Sacrament, and the Archduke, 
with the Lords of his Court, carried the canopy, and 
the Nuns of the Monastery, in their white mantles and 
long veils, holding lighted candles, followed two by 
two. V. Mother Ann of Jesus came last, accompanied 
by the Infanta. An immense crowd lined the street 
ouside the Monastery. 

The Blessed Sacrament was placed in the Taber¬ 
nacle, the Religious were conducted to the enclosure 



92 


of the Monastery during the chanting of the solemn 
Te Deum, and the ceremony closed with Benediction. 

Many Foundations were offered to Ven. Mother 
Ann of Jesus in the principal cities of the Netherlands, 
but her first care was to obtain the Carmelite Fathers, 
whose presence she had long desired, that they might 
undertake the direction of the Nuns, as had always 
been the special wish of St. Teresa. Finding that it 
was impossible to obtain them from Spain, she wrote 
to the Fathers of Italy and to the Pope. The Arch¬ 
duke and the Infanta seconded her entreaties. His 
Holiness Paul V. commanded the Fathers to accede 
to her request, and Father Thomas of Jesus, a Re¬ 
ligious most illustrious in the Order, having been suc¬ 
cessively Professor of Theology, Prior, Provincial of 
Castile and Definitor General of the Congregation of 
Spain, was sent for the Foundation. He was a very 
learned man, and his biographer relates of him that 
he studied before he could speak, that he wrote per¬ 
fectly almost before he could walk, and that when he 
took his degree they had to resort to an expedient 
to enable him to sit on the bench with his colleagues. 
His whole future life was in harmony with this begin¬ 
ning, and his learning was only surpassed by his sanc¬ 
tity. 

He arrived in Brussels, with five other Religious, 
bearing a brief from Paul V. to the Archduke Albert, 
which began as follows: 

“We were much rejoiced in the Lord when we 
learned of your desire to have in your dominions our 
dear Sons, the modest and faithful servants of God, 






93 


the Discalced Carmelites. This laudable desire has 
convinced us of your zeal and piety. You could not 
conceive a more fitting means of repairing the injury 
done to the Catholic Religion in the Provinces. The 
virtue of these Religious and their manner of life is 
an assured guarantee of our holy Religion. They lead 
men in the way of salvation, not less by their example 
than by their doctrine and exhortations. With them 
charity and simplicity walk hand in hand, and thus 
they easily gain the hearts of men, and inflame them 
with Divine love. Confiding in the goodness of God, 
we hope that the servants of God who, wherever they 
have been established, have spread abroad the good 
odor of Jesus Christ, may be equally, by their excellent 
conduct, a consolation to you and your people.”* 

The Archduke and the Infanta welcomed the 
Fathers with the utmost kindness. An oratory had 
been prepared for them in the house of the Abbe 
d’Ormal, the Court Preacher, where Father Thomas 
exposed the Blessed Sacrament with great solemnity, 
on the Feast of St. Michael, September 29, 1610. 

So great was the number of distinguished person¬ 
ages who frequented this Church, that the Infanta was 
pleased to say that since the arrival of the Discalced 
Carmelites all the Court had been converted. Many 
novices applied, and the house soon became too small, 
so the nobles, with the Count of Hanover at their head, 
constructed a new and much larger Monastery, which 
was completed in 1614, and the Religious took pos- 


* Bullarium Carmelitanum Tom III., p. 415. 




94 


session on October 5th, the day on which was cele 
brated the Beatification of St. Teresa. 

Venerable Mother Ann of St. Bartholomew did not 
come into Belgium with the Foundresses; she re¬ 
mained in France to finish her term as Prioress at the 
Convent of Tours. In 1612 she set out for the Low 
Countries, where her presence had been desired for 
some time. She was received with joy at the Mon¬ 
astery of Mons, recently founded by Mother Ann of 
Jesus, and while there treated of the Foundation at 
Antwerp. This Foundation was made in extreme 
poverty. V. Mother Ann of St. Bartholomew relates 
in her life that they had only fifty florins to begin with, 
and those were borrowed. 

The Fathers of the Society of Jesus in the city were 
most kind and gave them all that was necessary for 
saying the first mass, as they had absolutely nothing. 
The Magistrates were not favorably disposed towards 
them and wished to send them away, but God pro¬ 
tected them and soon won all hearts, so that after a 
time they procured the best site in the town and 
erected their Church and Monastery. Just four years 
after the arrival of V. Mother Ann of St. Bartholomew 
in Antwerp, the first house for English speaking 
Carmelites was established in the Low Countries. Eng¬ 
land was reeking with the blood of the Martyrs, and 
almost the last vestige of Catholic worship had dis¬ 
appeared. Many of its noblest sons and daughters 
still adhered to the ancient faith, and many longed to 
consecrate themselves to God in the cloister and spend 
their lives in prayer and penance for their unhappy 


95 


country. As all Religious were banished from Eng¬ 
land and their Monasteries destroyed, it would have 
seemed that their desires were impracticable. But the 
designs of God are manifold, and in His chosen time 
He opened to them the way, by the establishment of 
Monasteries for the English in the Low Countries, 
and amongst these was a house of English Teresians 
at Antwerp. 

The following account of the Foundation is taken 
from an ancient chronicle still preserved in the Mon¬ 
astery of Lanhern, England, and much of it is embod¬ 
ied in the Autobiography of Catherine Burton, Mother 
Xavier of the Angels, a Religious of this Com¬ 
munity.* 

The Foundation was made by Lady Mary Lovell, 
daughter of Sir William Roper, and a connection of 
the Blessed Thomas Moore. This virtuous lady un¬ 
derstood by revelation that the Queen of Heaven re¬ 
quired her to found a Monastery of an order most 
devoted to her service. She laid the matter before her 
Spiritual Director, a priest of the Society of Jesus, 
who advised her to write to Fr. Thomas of Jesus, then 
Provincial of the Belgian Province of Discalced Car¬ 
melites. She obeyed at once, but some conditions 
proposed in her letter raised doubts in the mind of the 
Provincial, and he was unwilling to grant her petition, 
so that the matter dropped for a year. One morning, 
when Fr. Thomas was at prayer, Our Blessed Lady 

* An English Carmelite—The Life of Catherine Burton, 
Mother M. Xaveria of the Angels, compiled by F. Thomas 
Hunter, S. J. London Burns & Oates. 



9 6 


appeared to him and showed herself much displeased 
that he was so long in admitting a Foundation where, 
she said, God would be so much honored and herself 
receive such particular service, and she charged him 
to seek for this house the most convenient place and 
accomplish all things belonging to it in the most per¬ 
fect manner. He immediately condescended to what 
the Lady Lovell had proposed, and obtained leave of 
the Seremissima Infanta to found a Monastery in any 
part of her dominions. He made choice of a place in 
Antwerp, which very spot had been shown in a vision 
to Mother Ann of the Ascension, the first Prioress, 
and said the first mass himself on May ist, 1619. 

The Most Rev. Father Dominic, then General of the 
Order, assured the Prioress “that His Holiness, the 
Pope, never showed more contentment in any pro¬ 
position he had made him, than in what concerned this 
Foundation.” 

Lady Lovell, with great devotion, not only gave 
all she had for the erection of the Monastery, but spent 
the remainder of her life in embellishing the Church 
with rich ornaments. The house was founded by five 
nuns, who had been trained and instructed by the com¬ 
panions of St. Teresa, and were of such tried virtue 
and ability as to have been intrusted with the office 
of Prioress in different Monasteries. The Prioress 
Mother Ann of the Ascension (Worsley) was an English 
lady of noble birth and was the first English woman 
to become a Discalced Carmelite. She was most ten¬ 
derly loved by Mother Ann of St. Bartholomew, who 
was ordered by Divine revelation to take her to Ant- 


97 


werp, where it was revealed she was to do great ser¬ 
vice to God. At that time there was no thought of 
the English Foundation, which was no doubt the work 
indicated by Heaven. This great soul was com¬ 
manded by Fr. Thomas of Jesus to accept the office of 
Prioress, and she established the Community in all 
true and perfect observance, according to the primitive 
spirit of St. Teresa, which she imbibed from the Span¬ 
ish Mothers, under whom she had the happiness to 
make her profession. She admitted no less than fifty 
English ladies to the Order during her administration. 
She founded several Monasteries in the Netherlands, 
at Bois-le-Duc, Alost, Cologne, Neuburg, Dusseldorf 
and Munsterfeld. Some years after her death her suc¬ 
cessors in office founded the Monastery of Lierre and 
later that of Hoogstfaeten; and a century later, three 
Religious from the Community of Hoogstraeten and 
one from the English Community of Antwerp, crossed 
the Atlantic to found the American Carmel. The de¬ 
tailed history of this Monastery and the life of Mother 
Ann of the Ascension will, therefore, be given in a sub¬ 
sequent chapter. Between the English and Spanish 
houses of Antwerp there always existed “ special af¬ 
fection,” as is shown by a hundred letters still extant, 
written by the Venerable Mother Ann of St. Bartholo¬ 
mew to her dearly loved daughter, Mother Ann of the 
Ascension. 

V. Mother Ann of St. Bartholomew remained at 
the Spanish house until her death in 1626. It would 
be impossible to relate all the miracles and prophecies 
attributed to the intercession of this good Mother. 



God, who exalts the humble, was pleased to glorify 
her with many signs and wonders. Her renown was 
almost incredible. Nearly all the Christian Kings and 
Princes of Europe sought her intercession. The 
Primate of Poland wrote to recommend the Kingdom 
to her prayers. The Infanta Isabella knelt to receive 
her blessing, and when about to depart with her army 
for the siege of Breda, she besought the Venerable 
Mother to come to the door of the enclosure, and give 
her blessing to the nobles of her suite and the officers 
of the army, who, with bowed heads, knelt to receive 
it, that it might be to them a “safeguard and a pledge 
of victory.” 

A few days later Breda fell into the hands of the 
Infanta. Her faith in Mother Ann was unbounded, 
and when she was counseled to protect Antwerp from 
the enemy she replied: “I fear neither for the city nor 
the fortress, because the Mother Ann is there. This 
defense is more powerful than all the armies you can 
assemble.” This confidence was well justified. Twice 
Mother Ann was supernaturally warned of the attacks 
planned by the heretics against the city, and she saved 
it by her prayer. Once she spent the whole night with 
outstretched arms before the tabernacle, and when 
faint with exhaustion her daughters assisted her, thus 
renewing the scene of Moses and the Israelites. She 
received the title of “Liberator of Antwerp.” 

Albert and Isabella were equally kind to the Fathers 
as to the Nuns, and had simply to know their desires 
in order to fulfil them. 


99 


When Fr. Thomas was made First Provincial of the 
newly erected Province of Belgium, learning that he 
desired to build a desert for the Province, they at once 
ceded to him in perpetuity a large grant of wood and 
land with fountains and streams, in the Forest of Mar- 
lagne, a league from Namur, together with an annual 
income of 150 measures of wheat for the main¬ 
tenance of the twenty-four Religious, provided only 
that the Archduke should be considered the Founder 
of the Desert and share in the prayers of the Religious. 
The grant was joyfully accepted, and in fulfilment of 
their design a brass plate was placed in the sacristy, 
with the following inscription: “Each and every priest 
in Ihis house is obliged to pray to God in his Sacri¬ 
fices for the Archduke Albert and for Isabella Clare 
Eugenie, patrons and founders of this desert.” 

It was the last work of the Archduke, for the Desert 
was founded in 1620 and in 1621 this great 
Prince and devout servant of the Church 
breathed forth his soul to God in the arms 
01 the Ven. Fr. Dominic of Jesus, General 
of the Order of Carmel. The Belgian Province, and 
in fact the whole Order of Carmel, treasures with grati¬ 
tude the names of the Archduke and the Infanta, for 
their loyal support and constant devotion. From the 
least detail (for Isabella looked after the granaries and 
provisions of the house) to the most powerful assist¬ 
ance; interceding with the Pope and raising monu¬ 
ments of Religion throughout their dominions, they 
neglected nothing for the increase of the Order and 
the happiness of the Sons and Daughters of St. Teresa. 


IOO 


They give a lesson to the world of the proper and be¬ 
coming use of power and authority, the use intended 
by Almighty God for His greater glory and the sal¬ 
vation of many souls. Who can doubt that when they 
left their earthly thrones it was only to exchange them 
for the more glorious ones of the Heavenly Kingdom 
for all eternity. 

Fr. Dominic of Jesus, who was present at the death 
of the Archduke, was one of the most illustrious sons 
of Carmel. He had received many supernatural favors 
and the gift of miracles from his early youth. He 
entered Carmel in his twelfth year and held high offices 
in the Order. He was Prior of the Monastery of 
La Scala, Rome, and afterwards General of the Order, 
and Legate of Pope Gregory XV. to the Court of 
Ferdinand II. He left Rome in 1620 and arrived in 
all haste to find the Army of the Duke of Bavaria 
camped before Greskhowich. On the Feast of the 
Assumption, being in an ecstacy, our Lord revealed 
to him the victory of Prague with all its accompany¬ 
ing circumstances, and he urged the Duke to do battle 
with the enemy. Animated by his promises the 
Catholics pushed the rebels to Pilsen, and while there 
Fr. Dominic visited the Castle of Strakonitz, pillaged 
by the heretics, and found a little picture of the Na¬ 
tivity horribly mutilated. Touched by the sight, the 
holy man burst into tears and made a vow to use every 
effort to have it becomingly honored. 

He suspended it from his neck and ran to the army 
of the Duke, which was at the moment in imminent 
danger of being repulsed by the Hungarian troops, 


IOJ 


who were beginning their shouts of victory. At this 
sight Fr. Dominic, armed with faith and hope, 
mounted a horse, crucifix in hand, and holding the 
picture of Our Lady, rode through the ranks cry¬ 
ing out in a loud voice: “Where are Thy ancient mer¬ 
cies, O Lord! Arise and judge Thy cause!” The 
Generals, reassured by the presence and words of the 
holy man, rallied their troops and routed the rebellious 
army. The miraculous image received the title of Our 
Lady of Victory and was taken to Rome, where it may 
still be seen in the choir of the Carmelites on the 
Quirinal. All the Princes of Europe, and above all 
of Germany, have contributed to the embellishment 
of this Church. Crowns of gold, diamonds and 
precious stones have been given, and 25 banners taken 
from the heretics are suspended from the walls. It 
was shortly after this victory that Fr. Dominic went 
to the Court of the Archduke Albert, and Providence 
seems to have guided him there for a special design. 
Five of the Maids of Honor of the Princess Isabella 
had received extraordinary vocations from our Lord. 
Each one faithfully kept her secret to herself and with¬ 
out saying anything to the others, had determined to 
forsake the vanities of the world and the pleasures of a 
Court, to embrace the severe life of Carmel. Hearing 
of the sanctity of the eminent Fr. Dominic, and know¬ 
ing the hour when he was to visit the Prince, they 
waited on the staircase of the Palace, where he was 
obliged to pass, and each one in turn took him aside 
and confided to him her desire. The holy man listened 
with the greatest kindness to each one, and promised 


102 


his counsel. Many were the trials and delays they 
had to endure, but in the end, when all was happily 
arranged, the good Father used playfully to call them 
“the Religious of the staircase. ,, 

The reception of these five chosen souls was made 
the occasion of a great ceremony. The Infanta and 
her Court went to Ghent, where they were received, 
and she remained for six days in order to give the 
citizens time to prepare for the celebration. The 
streets through which the procession was to pass were 
beautifully decorated, and after the mass, which was 
sung by the Cardinal de la Cueba, the Infanta herself 
led the five Postulants to the enclosure door. There, 
according to custom, the Community received them, 
presenting the Crucifix that they might kneel and kiss 
the feet of Him whom they had chosen for their all. 
After the ceremony the Novices, wearing the coarse 
brown habit of Carmel, and crowned with roses, as 
joyful brides of Christ, received the visit of the Prin¬ 
cess. Happy souls to have exchanged the fleeting 
joys of an earthly court for the blessed courts of the 
King of Heaven! The Venerable Fr. Dominic was 
made glad by this termination of that first confidence 
on the staircase. 

Albert and Isabella were succeeded by Leopold, 
who showed the same unvarying interest in the Car¬ 
melites as did his predecessors, and the Foundations 
continued without interruption. He gave the Fathers 
land, that they might build a hermitage in honor of his 
patron, St. Leopold, for whom he had a great devotion. 
An interesting incident is told of the Foundation of 


Courtrai, which gives evidence of the friendliness and 
simplicity of the Archduke. The Fathers had long 
desired a Monastery in that city, but the war and the 
other difficulties prevented. When the city was cap¬ 
tured by Leopold, the Prior of the Carmelites sent 
Brother Louis of St. John Baptist to witness his 
solemn entry, because they knew the Prince was very 
fond of the humble lay brother. Leopold, surrounded 
by his officers, in the midst of his triumph, caught sight 
of Brother Louis in the throng of people and, making 
him a sign to approach, asked him where was his Mon¬ 
astery, that he might go and return thanks to God for 
his signal victory. The Brother replied, respectfully, 
that there was no Monastery of his Order at Courtrai; 
that although permission for it had been granted some 
time before, many obstacles had arisen to prevent it; 
that God had, perhaps, deferred the good work that 
it might be left to the glory and piety of His Highness, 
and that to undertake the Foundation would be an act 
worthy of a Prince and an excellent means of offering 
thanksgiving to God for the favor he had received. 
Leopold smiled at the earnest discourse of the good 
Brother, and promised to comply with his request. 
As a guarantee he took off his glove and pressed the 
hand of Brother Louis. Many difficulties arose, but 
the Prince did not forget his word, and when the 
Fathers went from Tournai to Courtrai for the Foun¬ 
dation, they were met by the Governor of the city 
with two squadrons of cavalry, and their entrance gave 
rise to a beautiful feast in which all the inhabitants 
took part. 




The history of the Belgian Province at this period is a 
bright page in the life of Carmel, and indeed the whole 
century succeeding the death of St. Teresa was one of 
glory for the Order. In that short time the Reform 
had spread through the world. The Congregation 
of Spain, under the title of St. Joseph, comprised 10 
Provinces with 135 Monasteries of women and 113 of 
men. The Congregation of Italy, erected only in 
1600 under the title of St. Elias, comprised 21 
Provinces with 211 Monasteries of men and 169 of 
women. In Ireland there were n Monasteries. 
Moreover, the Missions of Europe were in Holland, 
England and Scotland; of Asia, in Persia, Turkey, 
Syria (6 Vicarites), Malaber (5 Vicarites), Mogul 
(11 Vicarites), China and Pekin; in Africa the Mis¬ 
sions were in Mozambique, and in America, in 
Louisiana. 

The progress and sanctity of the Reform had been 
predicted by St. Louis Bertrand of the Order of St. 
Dominic. St. Teresa consulted this great servant of 
God in many difficulties, and she tells us that she 
received from his advice as much light as consolation. 
From Valencia he wrote the following letter to the 
Saint, when she consulted him in regard to her labors 
for the Reform: 

“ Mother Teresa: 

I have received your letter, and because the affair 
upon which you have asked my advice is of such great 
importance in the service of our Lord, I have wished 
to recommend it to Him in my poor prayers and holy 
sacrifices. That is why I have delayed my response. 


Now I say to you, in the name of the same Lord, 
to arm yourself with courage to execute so great an 
enterprise in which He will aid and favor you on His 
part, so that before fifty years have passed your Order 
will be one of the most illustrious in the Church of 
God, which has you in her holy keeping.” 

The Bollandists state in the life of St. Bertrand that 
the fulfilment of this prediction was regarded in the 
process of his Canonization as an incontestible proof 
of the spirit of Prophecy with which he had been 
favored by God.* 


* Vie de S. Therese ecrite par elle-m£me Trad. Bouix Paris, 3 edi. 
1857, p. 488—note. 



io6 


CHAPTER VIII. 


THE ENGLISH TERESIANS AND THEIR 
AMERICAN SISTERS. 



S was seen in the last chapter, the Community for 


A English ladies who wished to become Carmelites 
was established in Antwerp through the charity of 
Lady Lovell in 1619. Mother Ann of the Ascension 
(Worsley) was the first Prioress. Her father was an 
English nobleman, who went over to the Low Coun¬ 
tries with King Philip. He afterwards followed the 
King to Spain, preferring to undergo any misfortune 
in a Catholic country, rather than remain at home in 
the Court of a Protestant Queen. 

He married a noble Spanish lady of the blood royal 
of the Kings of Spain and was the father of two illus¬ 
trious children, illustrious rather for their sanctity 
than for their worldly rank, for they both became 
shining lights in the Order of Carmel. Teresa 
of Jesus, the younger, was the first Novice 
to head the Profession Book in the English con¬ 
vent at Antwerp, of which her older sister was Pri¬ 
oress. The admirable traits which these two noble 




souls had inherited from their English father and 
Spanish mother naturally fitted them for the work to 
which they had been called by God, which was to 
engraft upon the solidity of the English character 
the lofty enthusiasm and seraphic love of the glorious 
daughter of Spain, the incomparable Teresa. 

The perfection of the house founded by Mother 
Ann is shown by the following attestation, taken from 
the old chronicle of the Monastery of Antwerp and 
now preserved at Lanhern, England: 

“I, Brother Mathias of St. Francis, General of the 
Discalced Religious men and women of the B. V. 
Mary of Mt. Carmel, having visited this our Monas¬ 
tery of St. Joseph, of English Discalced Carmelites 
in the town of Antwerp, both in the spiritual and tem¬ 
poral, I have found, by the grace of God, all in good 
order, and all well disposed, and the Religious most 
virtuous and observant, so that I have not found it 
necessary to make here one ordinance, but only to 
exhort them in our Lord, daily to increase in the fervor 
and perfection begun, until they arrive at the accom¬ 
plishment. In testimony of this, I have signed the 
present with our handwriting and sealed it with our 
arms. 

Antwerp, July 22d, 1621.” 

The Chronicle continues: 

“As the number increased so did the regular observ¬ 
ance, the Divine Majesty being pleased to conduct 
hither many noble ladies of the most ancient families 
of England, who in the flower of their youth hearken¬ 
ing to the inspirations of the Divine Spirit, became 



forgetful of the house of their father and, forsaking 
their friends and native land, came to Israel, which 
He had shown them, where they lived in such great 
perfection and union of minds as it might be truly 
said of them with the primitive Christians, ‘This happy 
multitude had but one heart and one soul/ each one 
liking or disliking as the others did. In all proceed¬ 
ings, great sincerity, alacrity and peace of mind, zeal 
of observance, love of poverty, a high esteem of their 
vocation; and such an obedience as it was sufficient 
for them to understand the inclinations of their Su¬ 
periors; a total forgetfulness and contempt for the 
world; a continual emulation in the progress of virtue, 
so that what in itself was most averse to nature was, 
by their habit of mortification, delightful to them; so 
strict a recollection and silence, that it has not hap¬ 
pened in many years that any one held a discourse out 
of time or place; such a neglect of themselves as to 
have nothing to dispose of, but all through obedience.” 

The particulars are taken from the life of Ven. 
Mother Ann of the Ascension, whose long experience 
and perfect knowledge of her Religious makes her 
testimony unquestionable. The Chronicle continues: 

“The temporal means at first were small, and neces¬ 
sary expenses many, yet we never wanted, Divine 
Providence admirably supplying by sending alms when 
we were in need. Many times pieces of gold were 
laid in the Turn without the Turn Sister knowing how 
they came there, and one day, wanting bread for din¬ 
ner, we found in the Turn just as much as was neces¬ 
sary without ever knowing whence it came.” 


Before the death of V. Mother Ann of the Ascen¬ 
sion, the Divine Majesty was pleased to show many 
signs to the Community. A full choir of voices was 
heard singing these words of the Office of All Saints, 
“Vidi turbam magnam,” and music was heard that 
could not come by any natural means. At the very 
time of her decease, one of the Religious, being ab¬ 
sent, was wakened out of her sleep by the sound of 
music, at which being frightened, for it was about 
midnight, she came with great speed, conceiving our 
Mother was dying, as indeed she was, or rather begin¬ 
ning a better life, adorned with celestial graces and 
merits, she being the first person who brought our 
Blessed Mother Teresa into the English nation, and 
maintained the Community from its very infancy, not 
only in perfect observance, but in a matchless and 
divine spirit of peace and love. Thus, after many 
labors and languishing desires, after the Beloved of 
her heart, repeating these words, “Veni Domini, et 
noli tardare”—“Come, Lord, and tarry not” — she went 
to enjoy in His Divine Presence the eternal reward 
of her labors, dying in great fame and opinion of 
sanctity in the year of our Lord 1644. Our Most 
Rev. Lord Bishop Gaspar Nemius, out of devotion 
and affection towards her, sang the mass, preached the 
funeral sermon and buried her. This illustrious pre¬ 
late was wont to call this Community “the Children 
of his heart,” which he made appear on all occasions, 
declaring publicly the interior satisfaction he received 
from their observance and union. This he testified 
under his hand to Pope Innocent IV., of which we yet 



I TO 


keep a copy. His predecessor, my Lord John Malder- 
nus, affirmed that the true Constitutions of our glori¬ 
ous Mother St. Teresa were here in vigor and that in 
his visits and in all the informations which were 
brought him, he had never found anything that could 
amount to a venial sin. 

Indeed, there is a particular benediction our Lord 
has been pleased to afford this Community, which is 
the true and paternal affection we have ever received 
from all our Superiors, the most illustrious Lord 
Bishops of Antwerp. Later, the Lord Bishop Am- 
brosius Capello wrote to the Archbishop of Mechlin 
as follows: 

“I assure your Lordship, that in all my Diocese I 
have not any Monastery of Nuns in which there is 
greater regular observance, charity and edifying love, 
than in these two English houses of Antwerp and 
Lierre, which may truly serve as patterns to all the 
Monasteries in the world.” 

Mother Ann of the Ascension was succeeded in 
office by great and worthy souls, who continued the 
work she had begun; the Religious were remarkable 
for their sanctity and the lives of several have been 
written, giving accounts of great supernatural 
favors and graces granted by our Lord to these 
chosen souls. In the course of one hundred years, 
seven incorrupt bodies were found in the three Car¬ 
melite communities of Antwerp, Musterfeld and 
Newburg (the latter two communities being founded 
from Antwerp). The old Chronicle says: “Were the 
particulars of the most exemplary virtues of the deceased 


111 


and many Religious yet living to be related, they would 
alone compose a large history; the heroical actions of 
leaving friends, country and plentiful fortunes, in young 
ladies of the prime nobility and some of the blood royal 
of England, endowed with many other gifts of nature, 
may give us a sufficient idea of the many celestial graces 
and favors with which God is often pleased to reward 
such even in this life. 

Of Sr. Mary of St. Albert (Trentum), the record states 
“ her mortification was so extraordinary that she seemed 
to be insensible; her silence so exact that she could never 
accuse herself to have broken it with reflection. She had 
a constant presence of Almighty God, and so great was 
her interior joy therein, that she was often forced to 
divert herself to keep it from appearing publicly. After 
her death her confessor said we might esteem her for 
her virtues and practices as a second Aloysius, which 
said confessor had lived with the Saint in his youth/’ 

Sr. Mary of Jesus (Morgan) of the family of the 
Herberts, was heiress to the large and ample posses¬ 
sions of her father, and as well for that as for the per¬ 
fections and graces of her person, was asked in mar¬ 
riage by the greatest Earls of the Kingdom. Her par¬ 
ticular vocation to our Order was very admirable, for 
so contrary to her complexion were all our observ¬ 
ances, that she knew they must shorten her life, as in 
reality it proved; but this knowledge she kept to her¬ 
self, and with an unwearied fervor, constantly perse¬ 
vered in all observance without the least dispensation, 
till her last sickness, which was but three days before 
her happy death; the Divine Majesty concurring with 




J 12 


her desire, in the manner of her sickness, so that she 
died without breaking the Fast of the Order, which, 
all circumstances considered, includes a most heroical 
act of courage and fidelity to the inspirations of our 
Lord. Her obedience was most exemplary, and this 
obedience she observed not only to her superiors, but 
to the least subordinate official, with an incomparable 
sweetness and humility, which was the more admirable 
in her by reason of the natural greatness of her mind 
and the habitual custom she had to command. Her 
charity and love to the Community appeared by the 
entire donation she made to this Monastery of her 
whole estate, which had been sufficient to found in a 
plentiful manner two other such monasteries, had not 
the miseries of our distressed country detained us 
from our right. Her humility was so great, that she 
thought herself the most incapable person in the 
world. She lived only five years, yet the examples 
of her virtues are innumerable and never to be for¬ 
gotten in the Community.” 

Sr. Ann of the Angels (Lady Mary Somerset) could 
not be content till she became poor in the house of 
Jesus Christ, in which she ever sought the meanest 
employments, performing them with such delight as 
was of most exemplary edification. Her friends, con¬ 
sidering her great weakness, thought our Order much 
too hard for her, but breaking through many difficul¬ 
ties and oppositions to enter amongst us, she truly 
experienced and showed to the world how light love 
makes the heaviest burdens. She was particularly 
favored by our Lord in a supernatural way; whereby 


the Divine Majesty finding her ripe for Heaven, took 
her to His Celestial Paradise, there to receive the re¬ 
ward of her great virtues. In the Profession list of 
Antwerp are found the names of seven of the Howard 
family and several of the Wakemans. Sr. Mary of St. 
Joseph (Vaughn) of Courtfield was sent as a Novice 
to Lierre when only seventeen years of age; she died 
at the ripe age of seventy-seven, having never lost her 
first fervor, but increasing every day in Religious per¬ 
fection. Sr. Margaret of Jesus (Mostyn) was another 
most favored soul, whose life has been written by 
Canon Bedingfield. She was held in such esteem for 
her extraordinary virtues that after her death the 
Bishop ordered the nuns to write down all they re¬ 
membered of her, and these papers are pre¬ 
served now at Darlington. From them and from 
manuscripts left by Mother Margaret herself at 
the command of her confessor, the life has been 
compiled, and it is a wonderful history of the workings 
of grace in a privileged soul. The name Bedingfield 
often occurs in the Antwerp lists, and Mother Magda¬ 
len of St. Joseph (Bedingfield) was one of the three 
entire bodies found at Newburgh. An old document 
from the archives of the Convent of Lierre testifies 
that a letter from the Monastery of Newburgh says: 
“Mother Bedingfield’s body from time to time sends 
forth a very fragrant smell; the handkerchief with 
which they washed her face is just as if dipped in oyle, 
her body and face a little brownish, but so beautiful 
and distincte, that it is most easy to know her, the 
whole body is perfectly entire and fleshy; her coffin is 





ii4 


like new, and the habit she was buried in is whole and 
not ye least rotted, her linen is white as if just put on, 
notwithstanding they had covered in her coffin with 
unquenched iiine, which is also as white as if just taken 
out of the lime-pit. Mother Anastasia (Wakeman) is 
not so perfectly entire, but fleshy. All her habit is 
consumed with the lime. Sister Lucy (Splynter) is 
all entire. Great concourse of people come to see ’em 
so as they might be counted by thousands—great 
miracles were wrought while ye three bodies were ex¬ 
posed, which they that received the cures are ready 
to testifie it upon oath. Notwithstanding since, the 
Provincial of our Order for the present absolutely com¬ 
manded they be no more exposed, but all kept in 
secrete, why we can’t imagine, time will tell. For all 
doctors and surgeons and other great persons of under¬ 
standing as also many ecclesiastiques and religious 
men, have declared it to be miraculouse.” * 

The body of Mother M. Margaret of the Angels 
(Wake) was also found entire in Antwerp, but a full 
account of it with a sketch of her life is given in the 
Life of Catherine Burton, by F. Thomas Hunter, 
S. J. This holy woman was daughter to Mr. 
Leonard Wake, young son of Sir Isaac Wake, 
Bart, of an ancient family of Northampton¬ 
shire. Pier parents were brought up in the 

* Consult the following works: Histoire du Convent des 
Carmelites Dechaussees a Newbourg sur Danube p. 563. 
Livres des Professes du dit Convent let II partie Livres des 
visites du Provincial. Vie de la Mere Theodore Landgravin 
de Hesse, Carmelite a Newbourg, par Charles August Buck- 
hardt dans le recuiel mensuel Le Lion a Augsburg, 1852. 





*5 


Protestant Religions, but were converted to the true 
faith at Antwerp, where they passed most of their lives. 
From her childhood she was remarkable for her piety 
and at five years of age she obtained leave to fast She 
entered the Community of Antwerp in her 16th year 
and made her profession in the hands of Mother Ann 
of the Ascension (Worsley), a religious well qualified 
to guide so choice a soul in the ways of prayer. Her 
presence of God was such that she preserved perpetual 
recollection, and seemed entirely dead to all about her 
except when duty required her attention. This made 
her breathe such an air of sanctity that her very sight 
was sufficient to awaken the liveliest sentiments of the 
presence of God. Her compliance with Rule was so 
remarkable that it was said of her, “if the Rule of St. 
Teresa were lost, it might be found again in her prac¬ 
tice and conduct.” In sixteen years she could only 
twice accuse herself of lifting up her eyes in the re¬ 
fectory.” 

It was during her administration that the Founda¬ 
tion of Hoogstraeten was begun, and it was brought 
to completion by her successor in office, Mother 
Frances of the Passion. This monastery was founded 
on the 18th August, 1678, under the title “Domus R 
Teresiae a Jesu,” by the Lady Gabriel de La Laing, 
Countess of Hoogstraeten and Rheinburg, and widow of 
Charles Florentine Wild, Rheingrave, Count of Salm, 
Lieutenant General of the Infantry of the United Prov¬ 
inces and Governor of Breda. This lady, by her im¬ 
portunities, obtained a promise of the Superiors to send 
Nuns to make the foundation, which she intended 



to be for the Dutch. Later, at the request of Mother 
Frances, she consented to establish it for the Eng¬ 
lish nation, to the surprise and gratitude of the 
English Religious, who had hardly expected such dis¬ 
interested charity. The daughter of the Foundress, 
Mary Teresa Rheingrave, took the habit and in the 
following year made her profession. 

For many years the Carmelites in Belgium con¬ 
tinued to lead peaceful and holy lives—saving souls, 
as did St. Teresa, by trying to become as perfect 
as possible in observance and charity, and receiving many 
English ladies, and later some from America, who 
braved the perils of the ocean for a life of sacrifice 
and union with God. The 21 st Prioress of the Antwerp 
Community was M. Margaret of the Angels, Brent, 1754, 
a native of Maryland, and several other noble daugh¬ 
ters of the same State entered at Hoogstraeten and 
Lierre. In those days there were no educational in¬ 
stitutions in America, and many Catholic families sent 
their children to be educated in the Convents and 
Colleges abroad. This led to many vocations for the 
Church and the Cloister. 

In a manuscript of Fr. George Hunter, mention is 
made of two young ladies named Boone, who entered 
at Lierre. Mary Brent entered at Antwerp; she was 
a second cousin of Fr. Chas. Neale, and the nuns in 
Baltimore still preserve a letter she wrote him when 
he was a student at the Jesuit College of St. Omer. 
It begins as follows: 

“My Dearest Cousin: 

This acknowledges with many thanks the kind 



n7 


favor of yours, which I received with much pleasure 
and satisfaction; what pleased me most was to find you 
in such good dispositions as to mend your faults, as 
soon as you were told of them, without excusing your¬ 
self in the least. I am truly glad to hear you and your 
dear little brother enjoy your health. Pray, my dear, 
the next time you write me, make your brother write 
a few lines in your letter, if he is with you. I sent 
your letter to my aunt at Lierre; she is very well and 
desires her tender love and blessing to you both. I 
hope you advance in your studies. It is my daily 
prayer, that if it be the will of God, you may both be 
good religious men,” etc. 

Her “daily prayer” was answered. Fr. Chas. Neale, 
who had been sent to Europe in his tenth year, com¬ 
pleted his humanities at the Jesuit College, entered the 
Society of Jesus in 1771, was ordained priest at Liege 
a short time before the suppression of his Order, 
and after its restoration he was the second Superior in 
the United States. He was the Founder of the Car¬ 
melites in America and their devoted Father till his 
death. “His little brother,” referred to in the letter, 
became Fr. Leonard Neale, also of the Society of Jesus. 
He was appointed President of Georgetown College in 
1799, and later became the Second Archbishop of the 
See of Baltimore. He was the founder of the Visita¬ 
tion Nuns in the United States, and his tomb is in 
their Chapel at Georgetown. 

Ann Matthews, a member of one of the oldest fami¬ 
lies in Maryland, entered the Community of Hoog- 
straeten in 1754. Her brother, Ignatius Matthews, 


118 


was a Jesuit in the Maryland Missions, and her nephew 
was Fr. Wm. Matthews of Washington, D. C. Her 
pious and virtuous parents instilled in her youthful 
heart principles of true and solid piety. In her 
twenty-second year she received the habit, taking the 
name of Bernadina Teresa Xavier of St. Joseph. She 
was greatly esteemed for her sanctity and gift of di¬ 
recting souls, and was Mistress of Novices and later 
Prioress, offices in which she gave great satisfaction. 

She had two nieces in Maryland, who had long de¬ 
sired to become Carmelites, but could not cross the 
ocean on account of the American Revolution. As 
soon as the cessation of the war made it possible, they 
joined their aunt in Belgium and were professed in 
1784, the elder, Susanna Matthews, taking the name 
of Sister M. Eleanor of St. Francis Xavier, and the 
younger (who was the namesake of her aunt), Ann 
Teresa Matthews, becoming in Religion Sr. M. Aloy- 
sia of the Bd. Trinity. The communication established 
between America and Belgium by the vocation of so 
many of Maryland’s devoted daughters, naturally 
brought about a desire for an American Carmel, but 
in a young and struggling country this seemed well 
nigh impossible; then, too, the war and its effects pre¬ 
vented the accomplishment of these desires. How¬ 
ever, God’s hour had come, and very soon after 
the profession of the two novices, their aunt, 
Mother Bernadina, received a letter from her 
brother, Fr. Ignatius Matthews, saying, “Now 
is your time to found in this country, for 
peace is declared, and Religion is free.” Glorious 


words, which explain the unexampled growth of the 
Church in this country in the last hundred years. Long 
may the nation keep that sacred trust, whereby free¬ 
dom of conscience is secured to all! It is a trust which 
dates to the signing of Independence, is embodied in 
the Constitution and was witnessed by Charles Carroll 
of Carrollton, one of the “signers,” and brother to John 
Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore, and Primate of the 
Church in the United States. 

No time was lost at the Hoogstraeten Monastery 
in preparing for the foundation, and the first instru¬ 
ment God made use of to obtain the temporal means 
for this great undertaking was Sr. Teresa of Jesus, 
(Coudray) a Religious of the Convent of Antwerp. She 
was full of zeal for the spread of the Order, and the 
American foundation owes much to her labors then, 
and in after years, for till her death she cherished an 
ardent love for her sisters over the sea. Her long 
and beautiful letters, still preserved in Baltimore, form 
the most precious link of affection between the Car- 
mels of the new and the old world. 

There lived in Antwerp at that time a most devout 
servant of God, M. de Villegas d’Estainbourg, a mem¬ 
ber of the Grand Council of Brussels and for some 
time Chancellor. During the trials which had threat¬ 
ened the Belgian Communities just before this time, 
through the infamous edict of Joseph II., in 1782, for 
the suppression of Religious Orders, he had been the 
champion of all the suffering religious, so much so that 
he was known in Flanders and France, and even in 
Rome, as the Apostle of the persecuted Nuns. He was 


120 


highly esteemed by Sr. Teresa of St. Augustine, the 
Princess Louise of France, daughter of Louis XV., 
and had constant communication with her in regard 
to the Nuns, when it was thought they would have to 
leave their peaceful asylums. France was then in 
peace, and Mme. Louise, who was at the Carmelite 
Monastery of St. Denis, felt the liveliest sympathy for 
her suffering sisters and obtained from Louis XVI. an 
act permitting all the Religions of the Low Countries 
to be transferred to his Kingdom. She wrote to M. de 
Villegas referring to Joseph II.: “I do not cease to 
pray for him, whom God uses as an instrument to 
chastise us, that He may pardon him some day. I 
hope that thus he will see that we contemplatives are 
not as useless as they have tried to persuade him. I 
often repeat for him and all those who surround him 
the prayer of St. Stephen, ‘My God, forgive them, for 
they know not what they do.’ ” 

When the edict was executed, Madame Louise re¬ 
ceived the exiled Sisters into France. The English 
Nuns, on account of their Nation were, however, ex¬ 
empted, and the storm blew over for a time. They 
enjoyed their seclusion a few years longer, just long 
enough to complete the American foundation, in 1790, 
when it burst again with a new fury, and beginning 
with the terrible French Revolution in 1793, it ex¬ 
tended to the Netherlands, destroying the monasteries 
and banishing the nuns. 

M. de Villegas was a particular friend of Sr. Teresa 
and a frequent visitor at the Monastery. When there 
was question of the foundation, Sr. Teresa sent for him 


12 1 


and told him of the three Nuns in the Hoogstraeten 
Convent, who had come from America to imbibe the 
spirit of the Carmelite Rule, with the intention of re¬ 
turning to their native country to establish a Mon¬ 
astery of the Order. M. de Villegas was much inter¬ 
ested and did all in his power to aid the work and col¬ 
lect the necessary funds. 

The Bishop of Antwerp, Mgr. Francis Cornelius de 
Nellis, conferred with Dr. Carroll, then Prefect Apos¬ 
tolic of the United States, upon this important subject, 
and his consent having been given, it was decided that 
Mother Bernardina, with her two nieces from Hoog¬ 
straeten and Mother Clare Joseph (Dickinson), an Eng¬ 
lish lady, from Antwerp, should go on the Foundation 
in America. Rev. Fr. Charles Neale, who was con¬ 
fessor of the Antwerp Community, offered to accom¬ 
pany them, and his offer was gladly accepted. His 
cousin, Mother Margaret Brent, was to have gone also, 
but she died some time before. She had invited Fr. 
Neale to be Confessor to the Monastery when his Order 
was suppressed. At first he declined on account of his 
youth and inexperience, but with premission of the 
Bishop and by the advice of Fr. John Howard, Presi¬ 
dent of the English College of Liege, he afterwards ac¬ 
cepted and filled the office ten years, with great per¬ 
fection and to the joy and spiritual growth of all the 
Religious. Looking back a century, it is evident that 
this appointment was the work of the spirit of God, 
for during those ten years spent in that favored city of 
Antwerp, the home of two Carmels, teeming with the 
traditions of the Spanish Mothers, where Yen. 


122 


Mother Ann of St. Bartholomew lived for so long a 
time, he imbibed the true spirit of St. Teresa, that he 
might implant it in the souls who would seek his direc¬ 
tion in the cloisters of the new world. He gave not 
only his services, but his entire patrimony to the Foun¬ 
dation, and he is ever regarded as the first founder of 
Carmel in America. 

Second only to him is M. de Villegas, who 
labored until his death for the welfare of the Nuns, 
and said that he would have liked to end his 
days near them. He gave them an oil painting which 
they used as an altar piece in their first Chapel, and a 
Reliquary given him by Mme. Louise of France, who 
made it with her own hands.* He also sent them a 
small picture, which he had executed, of the Sacred 
Hearts of Jesus and Mary under a fig tree, with the 
words of Christ to Nathaniel: “I have seen thee under 
the fig tree,” and adding: “thou shalt see more marvel¬ 
lous things,” and he told those who went to the Ameri¬ 
can Foundation that it would be the same prophecy to 
them,” for that they would see more wonderful things. 
May this prophecy yet be fulfilled in America, so that 
under the protection of Jesus and Mary, Carmel may 
flourish and spread forth its branches as a fruitful tree! 


* These and many other precious relics of those early days 
are preserved in the Monastery of Baltimore. The reliquary 
is of priceless value, for the cause of the canonization of V. 
Mother Teresa of St. Augustine (Princess Louise of France) 
is now in process, and the work may be regarded as done by 
a Saint. 



I2 3 


CHAPTER IX. 


CARMEL IN AMERICA. 



HE little company of six,—four Nuns and the two 


1 Fathers, Chas. Neale and Robert Plunkett,—left 
for their voyage across the Atlantic on April 19, 1790. 
They were in secular apparel, as it was not safe to travel 
in their habits in those troublous times. They had a 
long and perilous voyage, for the Captain deceived 
them and took them two thousand miles out of their 
course, to deliver some goods at the Canary Islands off 
the Coast of Africa. The ship was ill-provisioned and 
they were on rations part of the time and in dread of 
starvation. Several times they were in imminent dan¬ 
ger of shipwreck, but they made promises of special 
devotions and Fr. Neale threw holy water into the sea 
and they were saved. Once only they had mass on 
board. Rev. Fr. Neale remained up all night, and 
wakened the little Community at three in the morning 
before the crew was stirring, for there was only one 
Catholic on board beside themselves, and all had to be 
done very quietly. The Rev. Father consecrated hosts 
enough to communicate them during the voyage, so 
whatever privations they had to endure, their Lord was 
with them and they knew no fear. Their devoted Sis¬ 
ters in Belgium had provided them with some of the 




sacred vessels necessary and with an altar stone, which 
was in truth a treasure. It was brought to the Con¬ 
vent of Hoogstraeten in 1694 by Sr. Catherine of Jesus, 
of the old English family of Tunstall. It is still pre¬ 
served in the Monastery of Baltimore and is very an¬ 
cient in appearance. An inscription on it states that 
many of the English Martyrs said Mass on it. The 
Poor Clares of Santa Cruz, where the vessel anchored 
for some days, sent them beautiful glass cruets with 
the names of Jesus and Mary on them in letters of gold. 

They arrived in New York on the Feast of the Visi¬ 
tation, July 2nd, after a voyage of over two months, 
for there were no steamships in those days. Such de¬ 
lay seems almost incredible, now that travelling has 
reached its present perfection. It is not uncommon 
nowadays to hear of persons who “run across,” make 
a tour of Europe, and return ready to write a volume 
on all the wonders they have seen, in less time than it 
took these good nuns to cross the ocean. 

• They went at once to the house prepared for them 
through the charity of Fr. Neale, and remained in 
Charles County, Maryland, for many years. 

They began in poverty, though they had a great ex¬ 
tent of land, over 800 acres, to care for. Building was 
very expensive in those days; the house was made of 
wood and much of it unplastered and so poorly put to¬ 
gether that in Winter they had to shake the snow 
from their beds in the morning. They were, however, 
full of happiness and God blessed them with good 
health. Mother Clare Joseph, writing to England, 
says: “Without rent or revenue, we depend on Provi- 


13 5 


dence and the works of our hands, productive of plenti¬ 
ful crops of wheat, corn and tobacco, a good mill sup¬ 
plying our large and healthy Community with every 
necessary of life. We raise a large stock of sheep, 
yielding a considerable quantity of wool, black and 
white, which we spin and weave, to clothe ourselves 
and negroes. The situation of our Monastery is pleas¬ 
ant, rural and healthy, being on the top of a high hill. 
We have excellent water and an extensive enclosure, 
containing nearly three acres of land. The place is 
solitary, suitable to our eremitical Order.” 

Here the Nuns labored for many years, happy in their 
loved solitude, working and praying for the Church. 
Their number increased and many novices were re¬ 
ceived, all great and noble souls, most of whom left 
homes of luxury for a life of sacrifice. Their Sisters 
abroad were pleased to hear of the success of the 
foundation and wrote them many affectionate letters. 
One of them reads as follows: 

“I wish you could have been in a corner to-day, to 
hear our Rev. Mother say in Chapter so many affec¬ 
tionate things of your dear Foundation, which she 
called the Benjamin of our house, and by consequence 
ever to be most tenderly loved and cherished, encour¬ 
aged and helped; and she recommended to the nuns to 
pray with great ardor for its conservation, and spiritual 
and temporal welfare.” 

Fr. Chas. Neale was ever their true friend and 
Father. His advice was full of unction, and seemed to 
come from a heart penetrated with the love of God and 
absorbed in His divine presence. His cheerful gaiety 



126 


was proverbial and lightened many a trying hour. He 
took upon himself the management of the farm in ad¬ 
dition to his spiritual duties, and would cut wood, 
drive the cart and gather vegetables for the Nuns. 
The Nuns, on their part, spun and wove all their gar¬ 
ments and some of their mantles are still in use, for 
nothing could be bought like them for durability. 
While at their spinning, they would keep the Breviary 
or some book of devotion open before them, and in 
this way many of them learned the Psalter. Breviaries 
could not be obtained in this country, and when those 
they had brought were insufficient for the increasing 
Community, they printed others by hand. They bound 
their few books in sheepskin, which they dressed them¬ 
selves, and, as in those days there were no prayer 
books, they compiled little books for their devotions 
and printed them neatly. Treasures of piety are found 
in these old, time-worn volumes, and they breathe of 
hearts on fire with the love of God. They show great 
devotion for the Blessed Mother of God, for all were 
slaves of Mary, or, according to the quaint old English 
expression, “had entered into the bondage” according 
to the particular devotion of Blessed Grignon de 
Montfort. The act of consecration which each one 
wrote, and signed with her own hand, always ended 
with these words “O my dear blessed Lady! I am 
your servant, and the bond slave of your greatness! O 
my Lord Jesus! I am yours and your Blessed Mother’s 
servant and bond slave.”* 

* See True Devotion to our Lady. Translated by Fr. Faber 
with Preface by Cardinal Vaughn. 




127 


The “Pious Guide/’ one of the first prayer books 
printed in America, was compiled at “the Monastery,” 
principally by Mother Clare Joseph. 

Their little chapel was thronged with devout wor¬ 
shippers from all the country round. It was the first 
in Maryland dedicated to the Sacred Heart, and Pius 
VI. granted a Plenary indulgence, to all who should 
visit it on the Feast of the Sacred Heart or on the first 
Friday of every month. Their days were “spent in 
labor and in toil, working day and night, and watching 
in prayer,” as their holy rule prescribes, and their 
hearts were lifted up with great intentions for the in¬ 
fant church in America, which was in a manner con¬ 
fided to their care, for they were especially founded 
for the purpose of invoking by prayer and penance the 
divine blessing upon the Catholic Missions of the 
new world. Their Monastery was a monument to the 
faith of those pioneer Christians, who, when 
much was to be accomplished, could spare souls 
whose only duty was to kneel in spirit be¬ 
fore the throne of God in unceasing praise 
and intercession. To have some idea of the 
condition of the Church at that time, it must be remem¬ 
bered that 1790, the year of the Foundation of Carmel, 
witnessed the consecration of the first American 
Bishop, Rt. Rev. John Carroll. His diocese comprised 
the whole of the United States, the white population of 
which was 3,200,000. Of these 30,000 were Catholics, 
with only thirty or forty priests to minister to the spir¬ 
itual wants of this vast multitude, spread over an im- 


mense tract of country.* Surely to be a Missionary 
in those days meant to be a Saint, and it is to be hoped 
that the lives of many of these dauntless men may yet 
be written, for the inspiration of their brethren of to¬ 
day, who enjoy the fruit of their labors, and for the 
encouragement of. those, who still labor as they did in 
the far territories of the West. 

The position of Carmel in the young Church of 
America was fully appreciated by these devoted men. 

St. Teresa was apostolic in her spirit, and she often 
told her daughters that they were not Carmelites if 
they did not pray for the Priests. A letter written to 
the Nuns by the venerable Fr. Nagot, first Superior of 
the Sulpitians in America, breathes such an apprecia¬ 
tion of this particular end of their institute that a 
lengthy extract will not be amiss. The letter is dated 
January, 1792, and was written when the Carmelites 
and Sulpitians were the only Religious Communities 
in the United States, t 

“Having by permission of the Bishop read a letter 
written to you, by the Bishop of Antwerp, the desire 
arose within me to enter into a union of prayers with 
you and your infant Community. The divine and most 
amiable Providence of our Father who is in Heaven 
has conducted us to this new land, that we may here 
adore His holy Name, profess the faith of the Holy, 
Catholic, Apostolic Roman Church in the midst of so 
many sects abandoned to all kinds of errors, and honor 
our Lord, present in the mystery of His love. He has 


* O’Kane Murray, 
t The original is in French. 





2 9 


called you to lead a life entirely devoted to retreat and 
contemplation, the life of our Lord, hidden from the 
world, praying, weeping and immolating Himself in 
spirit to His Father for the world, during thirty years 
of His sojourn upon earth. While our object is to 
combine with the life of prayer and solitude, that of 
men chosen by our Lord to work at the extension of 
His Kingdom, by forming ministers worthy of Him 
and of His Church. Let us then render to each other, 
in the spirit of that charity which Jesus Christ came on 
earth to extend, the assistance that we mutually owe to 
each other. What can be of more interest to the 
Spouses of Jesus Christ than the spiritual good of a 
little colony of Ministers of His Church, transplanted 
to a new world to form perfect adorers of His Majesty. 
Often at the feet of our Lord, whom we have had the 
happiness of possessing in our house for nearly two 
months, I unite myself to the prayers and holy works 
of the daughters of St. Teresa, who are our Sisters 
in Jesus Christ. . . . 

“I desire then to participate with my Community 
(we are now ten, five priests and five young men) in 
all your prayers, communions and good works, and I 
offer you in return, however poor it may be, all I can 
give in our holy sacrifices, prayers, supplications and 
good works. I also offer you a participation in the 
indulgences granted by our Holy Father in the en¬ 
closed brief. They believe in Rome that the Com¬ 
munities here are more numerous than they are in 
reality. Since you are the first and we are the second, 
you should certainly enjoy the first fruits of the in- 


130 


diligences granted to the Religious of North Amer¬ 
ica.” 

Soon after their arrival, Bishop Carroll returned from 
England, whither he had gone for his consecration at 
Lulworth Castle. He took the deepest interest in the 
welfare of the Carmelites and wrote to Rome of “the 
sweet odor of their good example.” Cardinal An- 
tonelli, replying to the letter, expressed great satisfac¬ 
tion at their establishment in Maryland: “We are won¬ 
derfully rejoiced that the Carmelite Nuns who went 
thither from Belgium, have, by the liberality of pious 
persons, been able to establish a residence in Mary¬ 
land.” Later, the Bishop wrote them: “I am exceed- 
ingly pleased at the increase in your most religious 
family. Every addition to it I look upon as a new safe¬ 
guard for the preservation of the Diocese. Be so good 
as to request your virtuous Community to be assidu¬ 
ous in their petitions to Heaven, that the faithful may 
increase in number and piety, and the Pastors in zeal, 
useful knowledge and truly Christian prudence.” 

Do not these words echo the sentiments of Urban 
VII., who, when writing to the Archbishop of Goa, 
said: “We recommend to you the family of Discalced 
Carmelites, which is most useful to the Church, and 
which we especially cherish. Do what you can to mul¬ 
tiply their Monasteries among you, because the Re¬ 
ligious houses are so many citadels, where are fashioned 
arms of light, with which to break more easily than 
by steel, the temerity of tyrants, and triumph over the 
entire world.”* 


* Bullarium Carmelitanum, Tom. III., p. 481. 



Soon other Religious Communities sprang into ex¬ 
istence in the new world: the Visitandines were estab¬ 
lished at Georgetown and the Sisters of Charity at 
Emmittsburg. Contracts of prayers were made be¬ 
tween them and the Carmelites, and the most tender 
charity ever existed between these sister Communities, 
which has continued to the present day. 

A great event and happiness for the Nuns in those 
early days, was the passing visit of some zealous Mis¬ 
sionary, who, in the midst of his travels, stayed for a 
few hours at the Monastery. These visits increased 
the spirit of zeal on the part of the daughters of St. 
Teresa, stirring them, as their mother was stirred be¬ 
fore them, to greater penance and perfection, for the 
spread of Religion, and, on the other hand, strength¬ 
ening the Missionary, who experienced the power of 
their silent intercession before the throne of God, and 
looked to the solitary mountain as a beacon light in 
the midst of his labors. 

The Saintly Bishop Brute wrote them a farewell let¬ 
ter after his first visit to the Monastery. “0 speciosis- 
sima lilia deserti! You praise God in that choir dead 
and lost to the world, though your very name is the 
sweetest edification abroad, while your lifted hands are 
the very strength and hope of all our rising Churches. 
May I only be faithful to my own share of that com¬ 
mon grace of your prayers.” From Mt. St. Mary’s 
Seminary he wrote on the Feast of Mt. Carmel: 

“Permit me to unite with you all on this great day 
of your holy Order—truly hidden in God, still the 
priests can feel a great consolation sometimes to turn 


132 


their souls towards your solitude, and think how you do 
strive there for His love, and the ways of perfection. 
“The world, the poor blind world may think as low as 
possible of you, you smile at it in your sleeve, as St. 
Teresa, pity its folly and fear only not to fulfill well 
enough the eminence of that usefulness, which rather 
belongs to you in the eyes of faith, since every thing 
comes from praying.” “Pray, vouchsafe to pray much 
for our Mountain and particularly for the young clergy 
—I had always so much joy at heart to think, that St. 
Teresa wants you to be interested for the missions of 
the whole world.” “She meant her daughters to be 
true missionaries of continual prayer and supplica¬ 
tion.” 

When he was Bishop of Vincennes he wrote: “May 
be as the visitation days will come this year, Indiana 
or Illinois may be beautified with some branch of Car¬ 
mel,” “the first of all communities granted by God to 
our America, your prayers have called the others and 
blessed the whole land.” “Faith, faith is all, and un¬ 
less we prefer the blindness of nature to its pure lights, 
who can but find a great consolation in thinking, that 
at least a few of St. Teresa’s holy family dwell in our 
land. Ah! surely it would be in vain to speak even 
of my more distant hopes for these wilds, to see the 
honor of the holy vows adorn them; most distant are 
they, but were I in Heaven at last, I think I would tell 
Mother Dickinson to ask with St. Teresa, that our 
Lord may grant His Church of Vincennes some part 
of the blessing, that the old Churches of Europe so long 
enjoyed.” The day the Bishop longed for has not yet 


J 33 


come, but in all probability he is even now pleading 
for it in Heaven. Fr. de la Cloriviere, a school-fellow 
of Chateaubriand, who later emigrated to America, 
wrote: “I cannot express the sentiments of edification 
which I have felt and will always feel for the Com¬ 
munity of Mt. Carmel. I hope they will not be vain, 
but that turning my gratitude to God and my admira¬ 
tion for His ways, so different from the ways of men, 
I will more and more despise the world, which pro¬ 
duces nothing comparable to what I have seen at Mt. 
Carmel, and I will fix immutably my confidence in this 
God of mercy and of wonders, who never disappoints 
those who trust in Him.” 

As the Diocese was divided and new Sees appointed, 
the early Bishops all looked to Carmel for aid, and 
their Superiors, the Archbishops of Baltimore, cared 
for every need of the Religious, spiritual and temporal, 
with paternal affection. Archbishop Marechal called 
“this little nursery,” “one of the greatest consolations 
of his diocese.” Bishop Cheverus visited them in 
1821, and gave them a beautiful exhortation on the 
solicitude of their life. 

Bishop Flaget wrote: “I assure you, it would be 
impossible for me to forget Mount Carmel and the pious 
daughters of St. Teresa that live upon it. Never will 
I lose sight of what I beheld in that sacred dwelling. 
Henceforth I will never complain of privations, of cold 
or hot weather, of scanty and coarse food, when I will 
remember my dearly beloved Sisters of Mt. Carmel. 
Oh! how glad I am to have confirmed by writing our 
union or communication of prayers—it is certainly the 


*34 


best bargain I ever made in my life.” He writes on 
the 5th of June, and tells them he is going to start “on 
his march towards Kentucky,” where he hopes to ar¬ 
rive, if no accident happens, by the nth of July. 
Bishop Fenwick of Boston was for some time confessor 
of the Community, and he was out in the fields, for he 
too like Fr. Neale “united the knowledge of the Saints, 
with agricultural skill,” when the Pontifical Bulls an¬ 
nouncing his appointment to the See of Boston, were 
received. He ever remembered the Community with 
fatherly affection, and wished much to have a Founda¬ 
tion in his Diocese, but God’s time had not then come, 
and the fulfillment of his desire was left to one of his 
successors, as will be seen later. 

In 1826 he wrote: “Long may Carmel flourish, and 
all its inhabitants partake of the sweets of peace, happi¬ 
ness and union; a union both without and within,— 
happy concord, which makes a Paradise of earth.” 
His successor, Bishop Fitzpatrick of blessed memory, 
wrote: “Whilst we poor soldiers on the field of the 
world are engaged in contest with the enemy, I hope 
that you all, to whom God has given the better part, 
still keep your hands raised to Heaven, praying for 
safety and our success. Carmelites and Nuns, in the 
solitude and peace of the Cloister, can do much for the 
conversion of souls by their prayers, as priests and mis¬ 
sionaries can by their preaching and labors. They 
can do even more, for nothing but divine grace can en¬ 
lighten and convert sinners and heretics, and this pre¬ 
cious grace is drawn down from Heaven by prayer, 
and not by preaching. Let then the children of Mt. 


*35 


Carmel pray devoutly and constantly for the triumph 
of the Church, the extension of our holy faith and the 
salvation of souls for whom our dear Lord suffered 
death. And let them particularly invoke for this end 
the aid and protection of the Immaculate Mother, 
under whose care the Church of the United States has 
lately been solemnly placed, and who can alone by her 
power, destroy all heresies in the universal world. 

May Carmel’s flow’ret never droop 
Upon its chosen plain, 

And earthward, may it never stoop, 

Its purity to stain. 

With buds of promise may it teem 
Like Aaron’s mystic rod, 

Until it flourish by the stream 
Which laves the throne of God. 

Remember us all to the prayers of the Community. 
God bless you. JOHN BERNARD, 

Coadjt. Bp. of Boston. 

June 22, 1846.” 

These are fitting words to close the tribute of appre¬ 
ciation and regard, offered by the Bishops and Mission¬ 
aries of the early days to the devoted daughters of St. 
Teresa. They on their part endeavored to be faithful 
to the sacred trust confided to them, and by the perfec¬ 
tion of their lives and their unceasing prayer, to aid 
the zealous laborers in this chosen vineyard of the 
Lord. 


CHAPTER X. 


A GLANCE AT EUROPE. 



HILE the Carmelites in America were enjoying 


V V the undisturbed tranquility of a free and peace¬ 
ful country, their Brothers and Sisters in foreign lands 
were persecuted and suffering. The terrors of the 
French Revolution in 1793, brought devastation to the 
Congregation of Italy with its flourishing Provinces 
in France and the Netherlands, for when the final crash 
came, the tide of ungodliness and infidelity was not 
confined to France, but threatened to deluge all 
Europe. Everywhere the victorious arms penetrated, 
the peaceful asylums of Carmel were sold, destroyed 
or turned to profane use, and the inmates who escaped 
with their lives were obliged to seek shelter beyond 
the seas. 

Ten years before, when the Low Countries suffered 
through the impious edict of Joseph II., Louis XVI., 
King of France, permitted his aunt, Mme. Louise, or 
Mother Teresa of St. Augustine, then at the Carmel of 
St. Denis, to give shelter to all the Religious driven 
out of their Monasteries by her unworthy cousin, the 
Emperor of Austria. This noble daughter of St. 
Teresa was called “the Heroine of the French Carmel/’ 




*37 


and was a tower of strength to all religious in those 
terrible days of trial. Her charity was like that of the 
Saints, she was consumed with love for her Order and 
with the desire to save her Sisters from the perils that 
threatened them on every side, for if death had been 
their only danger it would have been a light one, but 
the Emperor acted on the principle that Contemplative 
Orders were pernicious to the Church, and used every 
means in his power to secularise the Religious and 
destroy the possibility of vocations. Some years be¬ 
fore, he had visited his cousin, Mme. Louise, in the 
Monastery of St. Denis; he was admitted to the Clois¬ 
ter and saw fully every detail of the house and her life 
of austerity, and when leaving her, said: “Madame, I 
would rather be hanged than lead the life you lead.” 
She replied: “I have tried the Court and the Carmel,” 
and needless to say, she decided in favor of the latter. 

God in His mercy called her to Himself before the 
storm burst over her own loved country, for now the 
Religious of France were in their turn dispersed. 
Louis XVI., who had often visited Carmel, with his 
fair young Queen, Marie Antoinette, had been dragged 
to the scaffold, and the Religious of St Denis were 
driven from the Monastery and scattered far and wide. 
History records such events in a few cold words, but it 
is only from private letters, that the individual agonies 
of mind and heart endured during those fearful days, 
can be understood. Holy women, who had spent 
years in the Cloister, were cast upon the world and 
forced to earn a pittance to support themselves by 
spinning or any such employment they could find. 


138 


Those who had friends yet living, went to them, await¬ 
ing the hour when they might once more wear the 
Habit Jthat was dearer to them than life. Those who 
fell by*the guillotine were happy, for they were at rest 
with God. The Community of Compiegne was thus 
privileged by Heaven. These heroic souls, knowing 
the troubles of their country, offered their lives to God 
as victims for the salvation of France, and God ac¬ 
cepted the oblation. They were arrested, taken to the 
Tribunal of Paris and sixteen of them executed on the 
scaffold. They mounted the cart at the prison chant¬ 
ing the Salve Regina, while the populace, usually 
brutal and turbulent, remained in profound silence. At 
the foot of the scaffold they renewed their vows and 
recited the Veni Creator, then the youngest novice, who 
was the first to go, began the “Laudate Dominion,” 
which she finished in Heaven. One by one these in¬ 
nocent victims presented themselves for the stroke of 
death, which was to give them life for all eternity. The 
Prioress, like the Mother of the Machabees, asked and 
obtained leave to be the last to go.* 

The terror extended to the Low Countries. The 
City of Ypres was bombarded, and the Monastery of 
the Fathers visited with proscriptions. Fr. Melchoir 
was imperturable. He and his companions had to be 
put into the street by military force before they would 
leave. The preservation of Carmel in Belgium to-day 
is due to this intrepid Religious and three others, who, 

* The cause of the Canonization of The Martyrs of Compiegne 
is now in progress, and a pamphlet giving full details has recently 
been published in France. It is being translated into English for 
the Carmel of Boston, and will soon be in print. 




r 39 


with unbounded confidence in God, waited and hoped 
until the edict was revoked and they could once more 
build up the scattered Province. 

In the archives of the Baltimore Monastery, are 
many touching letters written to the Religious by their 
Sisters in Europe at this time. An Augustinian Nun 
of Bruges writes: “After leading a dying life for some 
months in constant dread of the French attacking us, 
on the 1st of May, 1794, there was an alarm in the 
town, our enemies were but twelve miles off and more 
of the troops of the combined army between them and 
us. Thousands of the inhabitants were flying into 
Holland and we ourselves knew not what steps to take. 
The Bishop sent us an order to quit our dear Convent 
and seek an asylum at Sluys. We set off with heavy 
and broken hearts, some on foot, more than twenty of 
us; some in carts, and there were only four of these. 
It became dark and we could not see. We lost our 
way and were very much frightened. A cannon was 
being fired off very much and appeared near us. We 
tried as much as we could to keep up our spirits and 
be resigned to the Will of God in Whom we put our 
trust. We were soaked with rain and almost dead 
with fright and fatigue, but each one seemed calm and 
resigned, although our hearts were broken. We were 
obliged to stop in a village at eleven at night and take 
shelter in a public house, where we stayed all night, 
as there were not above six chairs to be given us. In 
the morning we resumed our dreadful march.” After 
five weeks these good Nuns returned to their Convent, 
but in ten days had to fly once more. Some of them 


140 


went to Antwerp and some to Lierre, where they were 
hospitably received by the English Carmelites, who 
were as yet undisturbed. But Brabant was now in 
danger and the Antwerp Community was forced to 
leave their loved Convent, that peaceful abode of vir¬ 
tue for nearly two hundred years. God never aban¬ 
dons His servants, however much He may try their 
faith and constancy, and now that every door was 
closed in France and the Netherlands, He softened the 
heart of England and she gave shelter to the outcast 
Nuns. 

The Augustinan Nuns hired a vessel and admitted 
on board seventy-three Religious of different Com¬ 
munities and they set sail for London. One of them 
wrote as follows: 

“We were all stored, in the heat of July, in 
the body of this vessel. We had neither light nor 
air, but from the roof, part of which we were 
obliged to keep open night and day, that we might 
breathe. Our joy was great when we entered the 
River Thames, but was soon dampened by an alarm¬ 
ing event. An English man-of-war lay out to keep 
watch, and we were smartly fired at. The Captain 
of our vessel was a stranger and did not know what 
it meant, and did not give signs of submission, so 
that we expected our lives must pay for his ignorance. 
We set to our prayers and resignation to God’s holy 
will. He lowered his sails and waited the coming 
of the long boat; they came on board with drawn 
swords, but finding who we were, left us with signs 
of compassion and behaved very civilly.” 


When they arrived at Wapping, they found a crowd of 
sailors and other people, looking on with wonder at the 
strange spectacle. A few of the bystanders began to 
swear at them and call them “French devils/’ but 
they were no sooner told the Nuns were English and 
that they were running away from the French, than 
they exclaimed, “Ladies, you are welcome home,” and 
showed them all manner of civility. The Providence 
of God in this manner once more planted Carmel 
firmly upon English soil. Their first dwelling was 
at Portman Square, but soon Lord and Lady Arundel 
offered the Nuns a house at Lanhern which they ac¬ 
cepted with gratitude. This house had been the seat 
of the Arundels from the time of Henry III. and in 
1376 Bishop Brantyngham had granted permission to 
have service in the Oratory there. Amidst all the 
changes of Religions and Governments, the Arundels 
have stood forward as the unflinching adherents of the 
ancient faith and even amidst the terrors of persecution, 
a priest was to be found at Lanherne. The English 
Nuns could not say enough of the charity of this 
noble family, when writing to their American sisters. 

A letter from London in 1794, written by one of the 
Nuns of the Antwerp Community gives a graphic 
account of their condition. “Our affliction is very 
great at finding ourselves once more thrust upon 
this wicked world. We sigh continually for our dear 
Hop-land (a part of Antwerp). If they take Hol¬ 
land there is danger of England, but I hope Divine 
Providence will preserve this land for her great charity 
to the distressed. One can scarcely believe the 


142 


change there has been (in the few years I have been 
abroad) with regard to religion, it flourishes so well in 
the chapels, etc. The government has shown all the 
kindness possible to all the religious Communities, 
and would show more, if they were not afraid of the 
populace. . . . The Catholics have been very kind to 
us, and have almost maintained us in food ever since 
we came, beside clothing us.” 

The nuns of Lierre and Hoogstraeten soon followed 
the Antwerp Community. The Religious of the latter 
Monastery in their strict cloister, knew little of what 
was passing without, and were peacefully performing 
their ordinary exercises, unconscious of their immi¬ 
nent danger, when the Religious flying from Lierre 
arrived at the Monastery, and told them of their peril. 
At that time the Prioress of the Hoogstraeten House 
was an American, Mother Ann Lewis (Hill), a cousin 
of Archbishop Carroll of Baltimore; she had suc¬ 
ceeded Mother .Bernadina (Matthews) in office, and 
was devotedly attached to her. When the Nuns ar¬ 
rived in England, they went to a little house near 
Acton, where they suffered great poverty; they were 
even found one day without any dinner, for they had 
neither coals nor water with which to dress it. and the 
water had to be bought at three cents a pail. Soon Sir 
John W ebb and his daughter, the Countess of Shafts- 
bury, gave them for a time the use of their house at 
Canford. After many vicissitudes they settled at 
Chichester, where they now have a beautiful Monas¬ 
tery—a solitary dwelling—far from any habitation, a 
lovely spot for prayer and contemplation. 


The Nuns of Lierre finally settled in Darlington, 
after many trials and changes. When they first ar¬ 
rived, some were conducted by Mr. Charles Butler 
to his mansion in Red Lion Square, and were treated 
with much kindness. They were the first to build a 
permanent Monastery in England, but this was not 
till 1848. Affairs were not then altogether settled in 
England, but they determined to wait no longer, but 
to put all in the hands of God and Our Lady and set 
about the good work. The ceremony of the laying of 
the cornerstone was particularly beautiful. An altar 
was erected, upon which stood a large statue of Our 
Lady, as the Immaculate Conception. A ribbon was 
fastened through her hand at one end, and at the 
other was attached to a plug in the stone in which were 
placed the relics, etc. As the stone moved to its desti¬ 
nation, the ribbon passed through the hand of our Lady, 
so the Queen of Carmel laid the first stone of the 
Monasteries of Discalced Carmelites in England. 
The document placed in the stone was as follows: 
“On the Feast of Our Blessed Lady and Nives and in 
honor of the Immaculate Conception, in the year of 
our Lord 1848, being the 200th year of the filiation 
of the Monastery from the Mother house of Antwerp, 
was laid by the Rev. Wm. Smith, Administrator of 
the Northern District, the foundation stone of the first 
Carmelite Temple in Engjand, since the ill-called 
Reformation. May her Heavenly Majesty reform 
and enlighten the land of darkness, and may no humble 
suppliant of her intercession in this her dwelling, de¬ 
part unconsoled.” .... 


M4 


The prayer is being heard and granted and may it 
not be that the charity of England to the persecuted 
Religious, is drawing down upon her now the tide of 
light and grace, that is fast making her a joy to the 
universal Church. 


H5 


CHAPTER XI. 


NEW FOUNDATIONS. 


In the last chapter, the Nuns of the American Car¬ 
mel were praying and laboring on their farm in 
Charles County; but in 1831, at the express wish of 
Archbishop Whitfield, they removed to Baltimore. 
The Archbishop sang the first mass and afterwards 
listened to the solemn chanting of the Te Deum, with 
deep emotion. The Monastery was then blessed and 
the Cloister instituted. The people soon learned to 
regard the Community with devotion and affection, 
and placed much reliance on the prayers of the Nuns. 
They received many novices and continued to experi¬ 
ence the fatherly care of their Superiors, the Arch¬ 
bishops of Baltimore. The full details of their lives and 
most holy deaths, will be found in the work, “Carmel 
in America,” published in 1890.* One event, how¬ 
ever, must not pass unnoticed. 

In October, 1867, three of the Religious celebrated 
their golden jubilee—three noble souls, who had borne 
the heat and burden of the day in the service of their 
Master. Two of them were cousins, but more like 

* Carmel in America, a Centennial History. By C. W, 
Currier, Baltimore, 1890. 





146 


sisters, for they had been brought up together. They 
were born in the same year, baptized on the same day, 
made their first confession and communion at the same 
time, entered Religion and were professed together, 
and lived to celebrate together their golden jubilee in 
Carmel. 

The third Sister entered with these two, and was a 
remarkable soul. Her father was a member of Gen. 
Washington’s staff, and in her infancy she had been 
the pet of the great General and Father of his country, 
who used to envy her father for his happiness in pos¬ 
sessing so good and clever a child. The celebration 
of the Jubilee was made the occasion of joy to the 
whole city, for Archbishop Spalding, who was then 
Superior, realized what an extraordinary event it was 
and told everyone of it, urging all to go and congratu¬ 
late the venerable Jubilarians. The ceremony in Car¬ 
mel was a beautiful one, full of symbolic meaning, and 
the Archbishop came with another Bishop and many 
priests, to crown the Sisters and give them the candle 
and staff as is appointed. He then made them an 
address, congratulating them on their great happiness, 
and alluding to the austerity of Carmel, he said: “We 
in the world take such great care of our health, that 
we kill ourselves with our care, whilst these good 
Sisters, who forget themselves and practice much 
penance, live to a great age.” He then called upon 
Bishop Whelan, who also addressed the Sisters. 
Taking his text from one of the Jubilee scrolls, he said: 
“What shall I render to the Lord for all He hath ren¬ 
dered unto me?” and spoke on religious vocation and 


47 


its great privileges. He also alluded to the vast 
change that had taken place in the condition of the 
Church in the United States, during the fifty years 
that these Sisters had been members of the Commu¬ 
nity. The solemnity was terminated by the chanting 
of the Te Deum. 

Such an event teaches many lessons to those who 
think the practice of austerity prejudicial to life. On 
the contrary, in most cases, a simple, regular, mortified 
life is conducive to longevity. 

It has been said that more persons die from the 
effects of over-eating than from not eating enough, and 
in proof of this it may be shown, that in the most aus¬ 
tere Orders, many Religious live to a great age in pos¬ 
session of all their faculties. St. Simon Stock was 
actively employed when he died in his one hundredth 
year. A letter in the archives of Baltimore tells of a 
Religious “who was ninety-seven July last, a great age, 
yet she is Procuratrix (a most laborious, active office 
in the Community) and of great assistance to Rev. 
Mother, having an excellent understanding and her 
mental faculties perfectly sound.” Another of that 
same Community lived to be ninety, “seventy-one 
years of which were passed in religion to the edifica¬ 
tion of all who knew her.” Mother Raphael, who 
lived with Madame Louise of France, and afterwards 
restored the Carmel of St. Denis, lived to be ninety- 
one, and was actively employed to her last illness. 
But the most remarkable of all was Rev. Mother M. 
Magdalene, oldest daughter of John Dolphin, Knight 
of Turo. She died May 8th, 1855, at the Carmel of 


4 8 


Loughrea, aged one hundred and eight years, eighty- 
five of which were passed in Carmel. The Dolphins, 
her ancestors, had founded the Monastery of Loughrea. 
During her lifetime, nine Popes and ninety sovereigns 
of Europe paid the debt of nature. Kingdoms suc¬ 
ceeded Kingdoms, and dynasties gave place to new 
dynasties in the midst of blood and terror, to satisfy 
human ambition, while this humble religious eat the 
bread of peace without distraction in the hope of a 
better world. 

A short time before the Jubilee of the three Sisters 
the first Foundation from Baltimore took place, on 
Sept. 29, 1863. Not long before his death, Archbishop 
Kenrick mentioned to the Prioress of the Carmelites 
in Baltimore, that his brother, the Most Rev. Archbishop 
of St. Louis, had expressed a desire to have a Commu¬ 
nity of Carmelites in his Diocese. He told her to con¬ 
sider the matter and select the members she would 
deem suitable for the undertaking. The Mother 
Prioress was deeply impressed by the idea and de¬ 
lighted at the prospect of the new Foundation. Very 
soon after the Most Rev. Archbishop died very sud¬ 
denly and was unable to carry out his pious design. 

It is impossible to mention the name Kenrick with¬ 
out saying a few words of this most noble and exalted 
soul, one of the chief glories of the American hier¬ 
archy. His name is held in veneration in the Church 
to-day and his memory will never die. Clarke, in the 
lives of deceased Bishops, says of him: “He has gone, 
but such men live forever. In the history of the 
Church of the United States, the page which records 


49 


the life of Archbishop Kenrick will adorn one of its 
brightest chapters. His spirit has been breathed into 
it, his life has been impressed upon it. Centuries 
could not efface the mark. They will, let us trust, 
only develop it in its true character, and above all 
in that spirit of faith which was the distinguishing 
trait of his life.” After the death of the saintly Arch¬ 
bishop, the Mother Prioress wrote to the Archbishop 
of St. Louis in regard to the Foundation, and received 
a very kind answer and an invitation to come to St. 
Louis. His Grace offered his elegant country resi¬ 
dence near Calvary Cemetery, with its farm and vine¬ 
yard, as a home for the community, until Divine Provi¬ 
dence should provide a more conventual residence in 
the city. Five Religious from the Monastery of Bal¬ 
timore arrived in St. Louis Oct. I, 1863, and on the 
next morning, the Feast of the Angel Guardians, the 
Archbishop celebrated the first mass in the Monastery, 
and the Blessed Sacrament was reserved in the Taber¬ 
nacle. Thus was established the second Monastery of 
Discalced Carmelites in the United States. The Com¬ 
munity spent fifteen years in the quiet country place, 
given them by the Archbishop. They suffered many 
privations because of their distance from the people, 
who might have aided them by alms, but their-blessed 
solitude, so admirably adapted to the spirit of their 
life, was enough in itself to compensate for all the trials 
and difficulties they experienced. 

In 1878 they removed from their temporary dwelling 
to a beautiful new Monastery, which they had been able 
to build through the charity of the people. Their 


chapel was dedicated to the Precious Blood and was 
a centre of devotion for many devoted friends. There 
were numerous vocations and the Community quickly 
grew in numbers, so that before long another Founda¬ 
tion was possible. 

The old city of New Orleans was destined 
to possess the third Carmel in the United States. 
Several ladies well known in that city had entered 
the Carmel of St. Louis, and in 1877, a depu¬ 
tation of their friends waited upon Archbishop 
Perche of New Orleans, to beg his sanction for 
a foundation in their city. The Archbishop approved 
the idea and promised to further its accomplishment 
as far as lay in his' power. He at once conferred with 
the Most Rev. P. R. Kenrick, Archbishop of St. Louis, 
and the result was a foundation in New Orleans, on 
the beautiful Feast of the Presentation of our Lady, 
Nov. 21, 1877. The Archbishop was always a true 
father and faithful friend of the Nuns, and ever en¬ 
couraged them in the midst of the many trials insep¬ 
arable from a new Foundation, and only known to 
those who have experienced them. He often declared 
that the Carmelites were the treasure and ornament of 
his diocese. The Jesuits were their Chaplains and 
confessors from the beginning, and were foremost 
among the practical friends of the Sisters. The Relig¬ 
ious Communities of the Diocese received them with 
the utmost kindness and some charitable persons 
started a benevolent society under the patronage of St. 
Joseph and St. Teresa, in order to pay the rent of the 
house, for they were only in a temporary dwelling. 


finally, after much suffering and anxiety, it pleased 
Divine Providence that a more suitable abode should 
be found for the Sisters and with the assistance of 
friends they procured their present permanent Monas¬ 
tery. From the time of the arrival of the Nuns there 
was a constant stream of applicants for admission, and 
they have never wanted good earnest Novices, zealous 
to walk in the footsteps of their Holy Mother, St. 
Teresa. 

Soon an event took place which brought joy to Car¬ 
mel throughout the entire world—it was the solemn 
celebration in 1882 of the Ter-Centenary of the death 
of St. Teresa. Carmel was now flourishing in every 
portion of the globe. It had been restored in France 
by the untiring efforts of Fr. Dominic of St. Joseph, 
whose name is sacred in the Order, for during his 
whole religious life he never ceased to work, pray and 
travel for its increase. It was firmly established in 
Ireland. Fr. Augustine was its restorer in Eng¬ 
land,* Pius IX. sent him thither at the request of Car¬ 
dinal Wiseman, with these memorable words: “My 
son, I give you my blessing, and send you to convert 
England, as, in the Fifth Century, one of my prede¬ 
cessors also blessed and sent the monk Augustine, the 
former Apostle of that country.’' The Ter-Centenary 
year witnessed the first onward step of the work by 
Fr. Augustine. In Spain, though the Fathers were as 


* The chapter on the London Foundation in the “Life of 
Fr. Hermann of Augustine of the Blessed Sacrament” is full 
of interest.. Fr. Augustine was the founder of the Nocturnal 
Adoration Society now so wide spread. 



152 

yet few in number, the Nuns had been preserved from 
dispersion by a special Providence of God, and in spite 
of the decree for the Suppression of the Monasteries, 
were more numerous than before the Revolu¬ 
tion. The celebration at Alba de Tormes was beyond 
description. Four illustrious Prelates, one hundred 
and fifty Priests, with Canons and Doctors of Theol¬ 
ogy, went in pilgrimage to the Monastery. The 
masses began at 2 o’clock in the morning, and at half 
past ten the Bishop of Salamanca celebrated Pon- 
tificial mass. Opposite his throne was a statue of the 
Saint, “Santa Doctora,” with the Doctor’s Cap on her 
head. Dr. Vincent de la Fuente offered the ex voto 
of Catholic Belgium on the occasion. 

Italy presented a sad picture, but even there pros¬ 
pects were beginning to brighten. On Mt. Carmel in 
Palestine, and throughout all the Missions there was 
joy and gladness in Carmel, for the anniversary of the 
glorious death of the seraphic Mother Teresa. 

The Catholic world united with the Order of Car¬ 
mel on this auspicious occasion. His Holiness, Leo 
XIII., granted extraordinary indulgences to all who 
would take part in a Novena or Triduum of devotions 
preparatory to the Festival. America added her note 
to the strain of triumph, and among the Prelates of the 
American clergy who contributed to the glory of the 
Saint, Archbishop Elder was conspicuous for his zeal. 
In a Circular Letter to the clergy of his Diocese he 
recommended them to celebrate a Novena or Triduum, 
and authorized them to give Benediction each day of 
the devotions. 


*53 


At the Carmel in Baltimore the preparations 
were made on an elaborate scale, and the cere¬ 
monies were such as had never before been known in 
the modest little sanctuary. The celebration was begun 
by a solemn Triduum on August 13, 1475, and another 
on the same dates of September. Every evening of 
the Triduum, Benediction of the Bd. Sacrament was 
given, with prayers in honor of St. Teresa, and ort the 
morning of the third day there was high mass and 
sermon. These exercises were faithfully and devoutly 
attended by the people. On Aug. 27, there was a 
wonderful sermon by Archbishop Gross, then Bishop 
of Savannah. On Oct. 6 the great public Novena be¬ 
gan. Every afternoon there was a sermon, followed by 
prayers of the Novena of St. Alphonsus to St. Teresa, 
and Benediction. Finally, the long expected 15th of 
October dawned. Pontifical mass was celebrated by 
the Most Rev. Archbishop of Baltimore, now Cardinal 
Gibbons, assisted by Pastors of the Baltimore churches 
and the President of the Seminary, while Jesuits, 
Redemptorists, Josephite Fathers and others were 
present in the Sanctuary. A magnificent panegyric of 
the Saint was preached and the music was given by a 
select choir with string orchestra. On Monday, the 
Triduum began with high mass by Rev. J. R. Slattery, 
Superior of the Josephite Fathers, the sermon was 
given by Rev. Alfred Curtis, afterward Bishop of 
Wilmington. On Tuesday, Pontifical mass by the 
late Rt. Rev. J. Loughlin, Bishop of Brooklyn, with 
many priests in the sanctuary; on Wednesday, Ponti¬ 
fical mass by Archbishop Elder of Cincinnati; all 


54 


through the Octave there was Benediction and vene¬ 
ration of the Relic. During the celebration, priests 
and people came from great distances and the chapel 
was daily crowded. For some months previous, the 
“Catholic Mirror” of Baltimore contained weekly arti¬ 
cles relative to St. Teresa, and a four-page extra edi¬ 
tion was issued for the 15th. Some time before the 
Feast, the Sisters arranged to have a lamp placed at 
the Tomb of St. Teresa at Alba de Tormes in Spain, 
and word reached them that the lamp, with the name 
of the Community upon it, had been accepted by His 
Grace, the Archbishop of Salamanca, for the purpose 
designated. The Monasteries of St. Louis and New 
Orleans also joined in the celebration for their beloved 
Holy Mother. The Nuns of the latter city, with the 
encouragement of their Archbishop, made an appeal 
to the Catholics of the United States, to aid them in 
the erection of a Chapel and Convent as a memorial 
of the Centenary. The Catholic societies of the United 
States responded nobly to an appeal that was after¬ 
wards made, and the Chapel and Monastery have since 
been erected. 

The Carmelites of New Orleans are especially known 
for their “Work of Reparation”, and devotion to the 
Holy Face. Archbishop Perche took the utmost in¬ 
terest in it, and his name is the first inscribed on the 
list of the Confraternity, which numbers bishops, 
priests and Religious, with many thousand members. 
This Chapel was the first place in which the Confra¬ 
ternity of the Holy Face was established in this coun¬ 
try. May these faithful spouses of Jesus Christ con- 


*55 


tinue bravely to accomplish the work they have begun, 
to the honor of the Sacred Face of our Divine Re¬ 
deemer! A large Confraternity now exists in Balti¬ 
more, and the Carmelite Chapel is a centre of devotion. 
Another great celebration was now approaching—it 
was the one hundredth anniversary of the Foundation 
of Carmel in America, and it was to be happily cele¬ 
brated by the foundation of the fourth house of the 
Order in the United States. During the great Catho¬ 
lic Congress held at Baltimore in 1889, the Boston 
delgates learned of the esteem felt for the Carmelites 
of Baltimore by both Clergy and laity, and that many 
blessings enjoyed by the people of that city were at¬ 
tributed to their prayers and holy lives. A desire was 
felt that Boston might have its Mt. Carmel, and that 
desire being approved by the Most Rev. Archbishop 
Williams, the proposition was discussed among the 
members of the Catholic Union and others, and later 
brought to the attention of several hundred Catholics. 
Under the auspices of the Catholic Union of Boston, 
a lecture was given by Rev. C. W. Currier, the author 
of “Carmel in America,” in the beautiful hall of the 
Jesuit College, which was offered for the occasion. 
The lecture was by invitation and was attended by 
the Most Rev. Archbishop, members of the Clergy 
and of the Union and all the prominent Catholics of 
the city. The lecture was on “The Nature of the 
Order of Carmel, its usefulness, and the New Founda¬ 
tion, so earnestly desired,” and it was a masterpiece of 
oratory. It closed as follows: 


U 6 


“The time has now arrived when a new Carmelite 
Community must be born, and which shall be the 
happy city that shall hold in its arms and clasp to its 
bosom the new born infant. It must be a city that 
deserves these Religious, a city where they will be able 
to effect much good, and a city where they will find 
friends. All these conditions I behold verified in our 
city of Boston. Who will deny that our Boston, a 
city so enlightened, so favored; the fame of which is 
spread over the world; one of the oldest Sees of the 
United States, should possess this treasure! Is it not 
most appropriate, that, as the first See obtained the 
Order of Carmel in its infancy, the see of Cardinal 
Cheverus should possess that same Order, a century 
after in its centennial year? Too long, Baltimore, hast 
thou surpassed us in this respect, and if St. Louis and 
New Orleans have the advantage over us, it is time 
that we assert our rights. And can we doubt that the 
Order of Carmel will effect much good among us? 
Boston may be good, but Boston can become better. 
We need grace, we need strength, we need friends to 
pray for us. There is not a single contemplative com¬ 
munity in New England; is it not time that we have 
one? We have made great progress, but in this one 
respect others are in advance of us. Come then to 
us, Carmel, Order of Mary; Boston extends its arms 
to thee. Here thou wilt find friends. Our beloved 
and most reverend Archbishop, for whom there is not 
a heart among the Catholics of Boston that does not 
beat with warm affection, will be for you what Carroll 
and his successors were. Here, too, you will find your 


*57 


old friends, the Fathers of the Society of Jesus; the 
Sons of St. Alphonsus will be faithful to their tradi¬ 
tions; and the Catholics of Boston will extend to you 
a hearty welcome. Ladies and gentlemen of the Catho¬ 
lic Union, here is a magnificent opportunity. The eyes 
of God, of the angels, of St. Teresa are upon you. 
Think of the many souls that may thus owe their vo¬ 
cation and perhaps their salvation to you. Think of 
the consolation this work will afford you on your death 
bed, when you will remember that you have been 
instrumental in extending the beautiful and most use¬ 
ful Order of Mary, and in this, conferring an inesti¬ 
mable favor upon Boston. Souls of Fenwick and 
Fitzpatrick, as you look down upon us to-night from 
the depths of eternity, you must be thrilled with emo¬ 
tion at contemplating the favor which is in store for 
the Church you love so well. God grant we may suc¬ 
ceed, and that the brown and white habit of Carmel 
may soon appear in Boston. May our Most Reverend 
Archbishop give his blessing and sanction to the enter¬ 
prise, and in your hands, ladies and gentlemen of 
the Catholic Union, I leave this important affair. In 
finishing, I feel myself impelled to exclaim with the 
words of Cardinal Gibbons in his introduction to 
“Carmel in America,” Vivat , crescat , floreat , vita 
conteniplativa!” May the contemplative life live, in¬ 
crease and flourish! Let it live as it lived in centuries 
past, when the desert flourished in the days of An¬ 
thony, of Hilarion, of Benedict and of Teresa! May 
it increase in members, in usefulness, in edification! 
May its light shine with ever increasing brightness, 


and the sweet perfume of its virtues rejoice the Heart 
of God! And living and increasing, may it also flour¬ 
ish upon the soil of New England, to serve as a 
beacon light to remind us of our eternal destiny, with¬ 
draw our hearts from inordinate attachment to earth, 
and draw down God’s choicest blessings upon us.” 

The audience was electrified by this appeal, invita¬ 
tions were issued to subscribe to a Carmelite fund, and 
numerous responses were received. The pastors of 
all the principal churches of the city and suburbs re¬ 
sponded at once, as did also the Rectors of the 
Jesuits, Redemptorists, Servants of Mary and the 
President of the Sulpitian Seminary. Thirty priests 
and a number of the most influential Catholics made 
up the list of subscribers laid before the Most Rev. 
Archbishop, who then invited the Carmelites to come 
to his diocese. His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, 
showed the most lively interest in the proposed Foun¬ 
dation. He went himself to the Carmel of Baltimore 
and appointed the members who were to go, giving 
them at the same time an exhortation never to be for¬ 
gotten. He spoke of the charity existing in their loved 
Monastery in Baltimore, and wished that charity to be 
ever their portion in their new abode; he prayed the 
Angel Raphael to guide them on their journey, and 
gave them his blessing for the new work with fatherly 
affection. All that sisterly love could do was done 
by the Nuns in Baltimore for their departing Sisters; 
they gave generously of their little store; they made 
vestments for the altar and many useful articles, so 


that much of the suffering incidental to Foundations 
in general, was saved by their thoughtful charity. 

The five Nuns appointed, arrived in Boston on the 
evening of Aug. 27, the “Feast of the Transverbera- 
tion of the Fleart of St. Teresa,” and took possession 
of the house that had been prepared for them, chanting 
the Laudate Dotninum as is the custom on such occa¬ 
sions. The next morning, the Feast of St. Augustine, 
Aug. 28th, 1890, the first mass was said and the house 
blessed. All that was promised in the lecture and 
more than could have been hoped for, came to pass, 
and this little volume is published as a memorial of 
the opening of the beautiful new Carmelite Chapel 
and Monastery, whose erection has been made pos¬ 
sible by the zeal and devotion of the clergy and 
laity of Boston. May the blessing of God descend 
upon them all! Let those who have aided the under¬ 
taking be cheered by the words of Pius IX., for his 
words are a commendation of their work. This illus¬ 
trious Pontiff of holy memory once said to an Ameri¬ 
can priest: “The want of the American (U. S.) Church 
is religious orders of prayer. America is a young 
country; she has passed her infancy and is now in her 
youth, but before she arrives at maturity one thing is 
necessary—the extension of contemplative Orders— 
without which she will never reach perfection.” 

Cardinal Gibbons has said:* 

“If there be a country in which the contemplative life 
is needed, it surely is our young and active Republic, 

* Carmel in America. 





i6o 


where the spirit of action pervades all classes. This 
action, not to be exclusive and absorbing, must be 
counterbalanced by reflection and contemplation, and 
it is from the contemplative orders we must learn this. 
Thank God, the contemplative life is not unknown 
among us, and shows us that the days of heroism are 
not yet passed. May it live and flourish!” 

Yes, may it live and flourish to the end! Elias was 
called El Kader—meaning fresh and green, because 
he knew not the decrepitude of age. The children are 
true to the Father; with the snow of centuries upon 
them, they are fresh with the vigor of youth, and they 
ever draw new life from the unchanging God, who 
is their sole end and inspiration. Carmel is ever ra¬ 
diant with the beauty of Him who is the food of the 
spirit, the life of her life. Down through the long 
ages, she has fought the good fight against the evils 
that afflict the soul of man. The sword of the perse¬ 
cutor has been but the pruning of her healthful vine. 
She has ever conquered and will conquer to the end. 
Mary has spoken: 

“Your Order shall endure to the end; your Father, 
Elias, obtained this of my son.” 


161 


CHAPTER XII. 


THE SPIRIT AND RULE OF CARMEL. 



VERYTHING in the world has a rule which is the 


L, measure of its perfection. In art, in science, in civil 
and political life, in all organizations, there are rules, 
laws, principles and maxims, which it is necessary 
to follow in order to be guided aright. As it is with 
the things of the world, so it is with the things of God, 
each state of life has its own perfection, by which it is 
distinguished and without which it cannot be perfect, 
whatever excellence it may otherwise possess. God 
alone possesses the plentitude of all perfections, and 
creatures, as they are finite and limited beings, cannot 
adore Him in all His perfections; but each created 
being, however, will find the means of adoring the 
Infinite Being, in the affinity and communion existing 
between his own special gifts and the infinite perfec¬ 
tions of God. This makes a kind of personal rela¬ 
tionship between Creator and creature, since each 
soul bears a seal or impress of the Divine Perfections, 
differing from that of every other soul that has been or 
ever will be created. This admirable diversity in the 
ways of the spirit, much greater in grace than in 
nature, will cause the marvellous variety, that adorns 




162 


the Church Triumphant in Heaven, “circumamicta 
varietatibus ” and this is why, of each saint it may 
be said, “non est inventus similis illi/ J “there is not 
found one like him.” This truth places a responsi¬ 
bility upon each man, for it is his duty to discover the 
way God has marked out for him, and the rule by 
which God intends to measure the perfection de¬ 
manded of him. God said to all men, “Be ye perfect, 
as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” No state of life 
sanctioned by God, precludes perfection, but 
though all ways of sanctification are holy, though all 
have the same principle which is love, the same end, 
which is God, it will not suffice for the soul to follow 
a good way, if it be not the way leading to the specific 
perfection determined by God for that soul. It may 
be said first that there are two great divisions: the per¬ 
fection of life in the world guided by the Command¬ 
ments, and the perfection of life in Religion guided 
by the counsels. The Religious life is also called the 
Regular life, from the word regula, a rule, for Reli¬ 
gious Orders have rules as a guide to the perfection 
of their state. Each Religious Order has its own spe¬ 
cial Rule, which embodies its particular spirit, and 
expresses its distinctive character. The knowledge of 
this rule and spirit, is absolutely necessary for those who 
wish to achieve the perfection of their vocation. 

After coming to a knowledge of the history of Car¬ 
mel, it may be of interest to reflect for a time, on the 
spirit and rule of this ancient and venerable Order. 

The spirit of Carmel is pre-eminently the double 
spirit of Elias, the spirit of prayer and contemplation. 


1 63 


The following distinction between prayer and contem¬ 
plation is drawn from the Fathers. They define 
prayer as the withdrawing of the thoughts, desires 
and affections, from the things of earth, to fix them 
upon things eternal; and contemplation, as the “ele¬ 
vation of the suspended soul which tastes the joy of 
eternal sweetness.” (St. Bernard). According to Fr. 
Thomas of Jesus, in prayer and meditation the soul 
travels towards God by reason, which does the work 
of the feet and moves on with an even step towards 
truth. In contemplation, the intelligence, acting the 
part of the eye, having found truth, admires and en¬ 
joys it. St. Augustine defines contemplation as the 
“pleasant admiration of an evident truth.” There are 
two kinds of contemplation—acquired and infused. 
Acquired contemplation can be defined thus: “It is a 
loving knowledge of God and of His works, and it is 
the fruit of our own efforts. The Divine Majesty is 
its chief object, and its secondary object is all created 
things in as far as they flow from God, the source of all 
things, and inasmuch as they are the mirror that re¬ 
flects the Divine perfections to our eyes.” (Fr. 
Thomas of Jesus). Infused contemplation is super¬ 
natural and mystical. The Holy Ghost is its author. 
The soul does not reason, for when Creative wisdom 
teaches the truth in His infinite power, the soul recog¬ 
nizes it at once and needs no reasoning. The matter 
of acquired and infused contemplation is the same, 
namely, God Himself, in the first place, or that which 
we find in Him and which we see to be either accord¬ 
ing to reason or above reason, or in a certain sense 


6 4 


outside of reason. God is wise, powerful, just, merci¬ 
ful, etc., that is according to reason. God has created 
us for a supernatural end; He has poured His grace 
into us and has made us His friends; He has given us 
His only Son, to be our Redemption—these truths 
are above reason. Lastly, there are some that seem 
to be outside of reason, as, for example, those truths 
that have to do with the Holy Trinity. The soul finds 
rest in the contemplation and sight of these divine 
things.” St. Thomas says: “Truth is the repose of the 
intellect.” The end of contemplation is union with 
God, for contemplation springs from love and brings 
forth love, and the peculiar characteristic of love is to 
bring about union with the object beloved. 

Contemplation supposes purgation from sin, for sin 
or attachment to sin is an obstacle to union with God, 
which is the end of contemplation. “Blessed are the 
clean of heart, for they shall see God.” St. Thomas 
says: “Contemplation is hindered by the violence of 
the passions and by the tumult of exterior occupa¬ 
tions.” Therefore, the contemplative soul must not 
only be separated from the world and its distracting 
care, but from self love, which is the root of all sin 
and the cause of all passion. 

If then, the spirit of Carmel is the spirit of prayer 
and contemplation, the vocation to Carmel requires 
one to leave the world and all things created; to re¬ 
nounce self; to become established in the love of God; 
to dispose the soul for acquired contemplation, and to 
await with reverence the divine favors which may or 
may not be given in this life, but which will, with- 




out doubt, be bestowed in the next life upon all who 
have been faithful unto the end. 

John, 44th Patriarch of Jerusalem, about the year 
400, explained and promulgated for the use of the 
ancient hermits, the words spoken by God to the 
Prophet Elias, when He said: “Get thee from hence, 
and go towards the east, hide thyself in the torrent of 
Carith that is over against the Jordan; there thou shalt 
drink of the torrent, and I have commanded the ravens 
to feed thee.”* 

The holy Patriarch calls these words the first Rule 
of Carmel, and gives a mystical interpretation of them. 
It is evident these words refer only to prayer 
and contemplation, the means of attaining that dispo¬ 
sition of soul, and the effects which follow. 

“Get thee hence and go to the east and hide thy¬ 
self,” are the means of making prayer and happily 
arriving at contemplation. Hiding in the torrent of 
Carith, against the Jordan, is the separation from sin 
and self and being established in charity. Drinking 
of the torrent is acquired contemplation. Being fed 
by the ravens is infused contemplation. When God 
told Elias to go to the East, He commanded him to 
leave home, country, the court of the King, all riches 
and possessions; all thoughts, desires and affections. 
This signifies laborious prayer and meditation aided 
by reason, which shows the vanity of all earthly things 
and draws the soul far from the noise and tumult of 
life to solitude, where it can hear the voice of God. 


*111 Kings, XVII. 



Carith means division; Jordan means sin. The 
only power which can separate the soul of man 
from sin is charity, which puts God in the place of self. 
Between God and sin there is an absolute division; 
between self and sin there is intimate relation, because 
of the inherent depravity consequent upon the fall of 
man. Therefore, the soul must separate not only 
from exterior occasions of sin, but even from itself, 
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and hide in 
the charity of God. St. Augustine says: “Let the soul 
pass without stopping from all created things; let 
it take flight and disappear.” In other words, “let it 
go from hence, to the East and hide.” The soul 
having found its hiding place in God, is now disposed 
for contemplation. This is signified by drinking of 
the torrent, which may be applied to acquired contem¬ 
plation; and being fed by the ravens, which signifies 
infused contemplation. 

The soul drinks of this torrent in many ways. Fr. 
Thomas of Jesus indicates five. 

By the consideration of the universe.—Lactantius 
says: “God made the universe and all that exists for 
man, because man can admire the works of God. 
This is contemplation, for St. Bernard defines contem¬ 
plation as the admiration of the Divine Majesty.” 

By considering the Scriptures.—St. John Chrysos- 
tem says: “The fertility of this spiritual source is im¬ 
mense, those who have gone before us have drawn 
with all their strength from these life-giving waters, 
and those that come after us will do the same; for it is 


l6 7 


the peculiarity of spiritual rivers, to swell and pour 
forth more graces the more we draw from them.” 

By a knowledge of the Incarnate Word.—Jesus 
stood and cried, saying: “If any man thirst, let him 
come to me and drink. He that shall drink of the 
water that I shall give him shall not thirst forever, 
but the water I shall give him shall be a fountain 
springing up to life eternal.” 

By contemplating the Divine attributes and the 
Holy Trinity. 

But here, as Richard of St. Victor says, there is 
greater need of compunction than investigation. 
Deep interior compunction washes the stains from the 
heart, and “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they 
shall see God.” 

Infused contemplation, signified by the words, “I 
have commanded the ravens to feed thee,” is a gratuitous 
gift of God, the soul receives with reverence the celes¬ 
tial food. St. Gregory calls it “a most delightful 
sweetness.” It is a foretaste of eternal glory, and sur¬ 
passes all other sweetness, as a great river surpasses a 
drop of water. If, O Lord, thou hast so many de¬ 
lights to rejoice a perishable body, how many wilt 
thou not have for the soul that is to live forever!” 


A STUDY OF THE SEAL OF CARMEL. 
Having considered the spirit of Carmel in general, we 
may enter more into detail by a study of the Armorial 
bearings of the Order. Nations, countries, organizations 



and individuals have their coat of arms which is expressive 
of some fact in their history or of some typical character¬ 
istic. Carmel has hers, and it is full of signification. It 
will serve as a faithful guide to the further study of the 
Spirit and Rule. 

In the centre of the shield rises the holy mountain 
of Carmel, the cradle of the Order; and on this shield 
there are also three stars, which represent the three 
epochs in the history of Carmel. The first, as if placed 
in a grotto of the Mountain, signifies the Prophetic 
era which extends from the time of Elias, who founded 
the Order in a cave, to the coming of St. John the 
Baptist. 

The second and third stars rising over the moun¬ 
tain, signifiy respectively the Greek and Latin eras, 
when the Order spread throughout the East and the 
West; that is from the time of St. John the Baptist to 
Berthold, the first Latin General; and from Berthold 
to the end of the world. The cross on the summit of 
the Mountain was added in the XVIth Century, as 
the distinctive sign of the Discalced Carmelites, and 
they also adopted for their crest, in memory of the 
Prophet Elias, the arm with the flaming sword, and 
the legend, “Zelo Zelatus sum pro Domino Deo ex- 
ercituum,” “With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord 
God of hosts.” The twelve stars of the crown repre¬ 
sent the attributes of our Lady, the Virgin Mary, 
whom St. John saw in the Apocalypse under the figure 
of a woman clothed with the sun and crowned with 
twelve stars. They also signifiy the twelve points of 
the Rule, which are Obedience, Chastity, Poverty, 


169 


Recollection, Mental Prayer, Divine Office, Chapter, 
Abstinence from Meat, Manual Labor, Silence, Hu¬ 
mility and Supererogation.* 

To begin with the shield—the holy Mountain of 
Carmel is itself symbolic of the spirit of prayer and 
contemplation, which should be characteristic of its 
children. This is shown in three ways. 1st, By the 
mystical signification of the word Carmel; 2d, By the 
solitude of the Mountain; 3d, By its height. 

1st. The word Carmel means, “Circumcision of the 
Lamb,” and signifies that the Religious of Mt. Carmel 
should live entirely separated from the pleasures of 
the world, that theirlives should be passed in continual 
sacrifice, in austerity, mortification and penance; and 
that to sweeten their pains, they should behold their 
Divine Model, the Lord Jesus. He is the Lamb that 
was circumcised and slain; who, after having under¬ 
gone fasts, vigils, scourgings and thorns, died upon 
the cross to give man an example of penance. 

2d. The retirement of the Mountain teaches, that 
solitude is the home of the Religious of Carmel; when 
they leave it they go out of their natural element and 
hasten to their death, as the fish dies when taken out 


* P. Saraceno in his “Menologium Carmelitanum” shows 
the existence of the seal of the order in the time of St. Denis, 
the second of the disciples of St. Elias, raised to the throne 
of Peter. This was about the year 267. Saraceno refers to 
the testimony of St. Isidore of Seville, called “the young,” 
who was born about 570, and was called on account of his 
erudition, the Doctor of his age. Several details of the crest 
are taken from a manuscript of Fr. Jerome Gratian 
“Peregrinacia de Anastasio” preserved in the convent of the 
Carmelites of Brussels. 



170 


of the water. Suffering and solitude are means to 
dispose the soul for prayer and contemplation, which 
is signified by: 

3d. The height of the Mountain. The Son of God 
had His heart and mind always elevated to His Father, 
and He had a particular inclination to dwell upon 
mountains. It was to mountains that he retired to 
make His prayer. 

Hugo of St. Victor says, that “the montains which 
approach nearest to the heavens signify contempla¬ 
tion, which, detaching man from earth, elevates him to 
a sublime and eminent knowledge of celestial goods.”* 

The arm with the flaming sword above the shield, 
signifies the zeal of the Prophet Elias, which is the 
rightful inheritance of Carmel, and which has burned in 
her heart like a torch since the days when her Founder 
“stood up as a fire” for the glory of God. But this 
zeal seemed to overflow all bounds, when the heart of 
St. Teresa was pierced by a seraph and burned with 
living fire from the throne of God. From that mo¬ 
ment, she, too, “stood up as a fire” and was zealous for 
the Lord God of Hosts and for His Church. She 
added austerities to the already austere life of Carmel 
and her words burned as a torch, as she called upon 
her children, men and women of the Order, to be con¬ 
sumed with the zeal of Apostles for the salvation of 
souls. Listen to her words: 

“Alas, my heart is breaking to see the destruction 
of so many souls. I know that for those who are al- 


Hugo a St. Victor, Tom II., serm. 12. 



*7 


ready lost there is no remedy, but I wish not to see 
more ruined every day. O my daughters in Jesus 
Christ! help me to entreat our Lord herein; it is for 
this object you are united here. This is your voca¬ 
tion; these are to be your employments, these your de¬ 
sires, hither your tears; this you must without ceasing 
ask of God. No, no, my sisters, it is not for worldly 
things that you are here. . . . What! all Christianity is 
on fire; the heretics wish to pass sentence on our Lord 
again, as they bring a thousand false witnesses against 
Him and try to overturn His Church, and shall we 
lose our time in praying for things, which, if God 
granted them, we should have one soul less in 
Heaven!” 

“In considering the great evils caused by heretics 
in our days, it seems to me that there is nothing more 
needed in the Church than an army of elect souls, to 
break the efforts of heresy and arrest its progress.” 
In the mind of the Saint, this valiant army is com¬ 
posed of defenders of the truth and the Priests of the 
Lord,” whom she compares to noble soldiers sur¬ 
rounding their Prince, who is attacked on all sides by 
the enemy. Then she continues: “But why do I speak 
thus to you. It is that you may understand clearly 
the object of your prayers, so that you may *beg of 
God, that none of us who are to-day within the castle 
of good Christians may go over to the camp of the 
enemy, and that God may make the Captains of this 
castle or city, that is to say the Preachers and Doctors 
of His Church, completely victorious in the ways of 
the Lord. . . . And since we women are unable to 


172 


assist our King in one way or the other, let us en¬ 
deavor to be such that our prayers may aid these ser¬ 
vants of God who, with so much labor, have fortified 
themselves with learning and virtue and are now striv¬ 
ing to help our Lord. ... If we by our prayers can 
contribute to this victory, then we also, in the depths 
of our solitude, have fought for the cause of God/’ . . . 
After urging her daughters to perfect abnegation and 
generosity, two essential qualities of an apostolic vo¬ 
cation, she concludes: “When your prayers and de¬ 
sires and disciplines and fasts are not directed to this 
object which I have mentioned, remember that you do 
not aim at, or accomplish, the end for which our Lord 
assembled you here together.” 

The Order of Carmel is beyond all and above all 
contemplative, but in the thought and mind of St. 
Teresa it is none the less apostolic. She wishes her 
daughters to come to the aid of the Church and of the 
Priests, to extend the Kingdom of God and in the 
ardor of their zeal to embrace the entire universe by 
the apostolate of prayer. 

The twelve stars of the crown over the shield sig¬ 
nify devotion to the Virgin Mother of God. The 
Order of Carmel has always been the Order of Mary, 
and is especially charged with propagating her honor. 
The Church has recognized this, by instituting a 
special Office and Feast to honor the Most Blessed 
Virgin under the title of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. 
The Rule of the Order is addressed to the “Brothers 
of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel,” and the Order recog¬ 
nizes no other Patroness. Though founded by Elias, 


*73 


it is not called the Order of Elias, but the Order of 
Mary. When the Blessed Virgin appeared to Pope 
John XXII. she called it “her Order,” and when our 
Lord appeared to St. Teresa, He spoke of “the Order 
of My Mother.” The mystical writers of Carmel love 
to call Mary its Foundress, because she was its in¬ 
spiration, when she appeared to Elias, in Prophecy, as 
a “little cloud rising out of the sea.” The Prophet 
gathered together his disciples to honor the “Virgin 
who was brought forth,” and the Order which he 
founded was modelled upon her virtues. Therefore, 
though not the effective, she was the final and merito¬ 
rious cause, and her image was the type of Carmelite 
perfection. The life of Carmel is the life of Mary at 
Nazareth and in the Cenacle, a life of silence, retreat 
and prayer, offered to God for the welfare of the 
Church and the salvation of souls. 

Devotion to Mary has always been regarded as a 
pledge of grace, a mark of predestination, and the seal 
of eternal happiness. It has been the characteristic of 
all the Saints, and in a special manner of the Saints of 
Carmel. From the time of Elias, Carmel possessed 
this devotion in Prophecy, and especially honored our 
Lady as the Virgin Mother, conceived without sin, 
maintaining the opinion of the Immaculate Concep¬ 
tion long before this point of dogma was defined by 
the Church. This inspired tradition is such a radiant 
star in the crown offered by Carmel to the Queen of 
Heaven, that it may not be amiss here to refer to a 
page of the “Salmanticenses,” that marvelous spiritual 
edifice which took sixty years for its construction and 


*74 


which was composed at Salamanca by Carmelites, 
whose names for the most part are unknown. 

Referring to the doctrine of the Immaculate Con¬ 
ception of our Lady, which was then not defined as an 
article of faith, they recall Carmel’s belief in this glori¬ 
ous prerogative of Mary, and they do not fear to assert, 
that the Carmelites were the first to honor and pro¬ 
claim this privilege accorded to the Virgin Mother 
of God. They then give the testimony of modern 
writers such as Peter Oyedas, 1616, who says: “It is 
just that we felicitate the Blessed Order of the Mother 
of God, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, for the glorious tra¬ 
dition of its belief in the Immaculate Conception; it 
is just that we thank it for having kept this tradi¬ 
tion intact through long centuries, and for having 
transmitted it to the Church by the Patriarch John, 
its Son. 

What glory to> this Religious family to have given 
testimony to the Conception without spot, of the 
Mother of God, during two thousand and five hundred 
years, because so many centuries have elapsed since 
the revelation made to Elias.” 

Another Jesuit, Ferdinand of Salazar, reproduces in 
his work on the Immaculate Conception, the explana¬ 
tion given by the Patriarch John on the vision of the 
Prophet Elias and speaks as follows: 

“In the Book of the Institution of the Monks, Chap. 
32, is given the mystical interpretation of the prophetic 
vision of Elias, which is related in the Third Book of 
Kings. ‘For the seventh time,’says the Scripture,‘the 
servant of Elias looked towards the horizon over the 


ocean, when all at once he saw a little cloud, like the 
trace of a man’s foot, which rose out of the sea.’ The 
Patriarch John of Jerusalem says this vision contained 
many revelations in regard to the future, which God 
communicated to Elias, and which the Prophet trans¬ 
mitted, not publicly to all, but secretly to his own.” 
It is of the latter we speak: “God revealed to Elias in 
this vision four great mysteries. First, a little child 
just born, who came forth from her mother free from 
all sin. Then, the time when that would come to pass 
was designated; thirdly, this child would guard per¬ 
petual virginity like Elias, and lastly, God would unite 
His nature with human nature taken of this Virgin 
and would be truly the Son of Man. According to 
the mystical interpretation of the vision, given by the 
Patriarch John, this little child who came forth 
from the womb of her Mother, is the most holy 
Virgin Mary; she is prefigured by the cloud that 
came forth from the waters of the sea. The 
waves of the ocean are heavy and bitter; light 
and sweet is the cloud; so Mary, though the 
daughter of humanity, is not burdened with the 
iniquities which weigh upon all men coming into this 
world, and the graces, of which she possesses the pleni¬ 
tude, have become our sweetness and delight. This 
prophetic knowledge of the purity of Mary, was trans¬ 
mitted by Elias to Eliseus and the other disciples. 
These gave it to their successors, and so when Mary 
appeared and realized the Prophecy, a temple was built 
in her honor, as a monument to her spotless purity.” 

Another great privilege accorded to the “Brothers 


176 


of our Lady” was, that they were the first to have the 
custody of the Holy House of Loretto, after its trans¬ 
lation from the Holy Land. The history of Loretto* 
states, that “under the Pontificate of Innocent VIII. 
the Cardinal de la Rovere, at that time Protector of 
the house of Loretto and of the Order of Carmel, 
remembering that the -Carmelites had recently proved 
by solid arguments to Sixtus IV., his uncle, that the 
Holy House had been confided to their care in Galilee 
before its translation, asked of the Pope, and ob¬ 
tained permission to constitute them guardians of the 
Holy House of Loretto.” Turselini goes on to say 
that these Religious, driven from Asia by the Bar¬ 
barians, had for a long time filled Europe with Mon¬ 
asteries, and everywhere had given good example. 
In 1489 thirty Religious of the Convent of Mantua 
were chosen for this privileged office, and among them 
Baptist Spanogli of Mantua, Vicar General of the Con¬ 
gregation. This great servant of Mary has since been 
beatified. He wrote the history of the Holy House 
and dedicated it to the Cardinal de la Rovere. Up to 
that time the history had never been written, but had 
existed only by oral tradition. Its publication, says 
Turselini, was the beginning of a great devotion to our 
Lady of Loretto. The Litany of Loretto was origi¬ 
nally brought from the East by the Carmelites and 
was by them inaugurated at the Sanctuary of Loretto. 
It has been lengthened through the centuries by in¬ 
vocations added by the Popes for special occasions. 

*Historia Lauretana liv. II., chap. 5, by Horace Turse- 
line, S. J. 




T 77 


This litany is said every day after vespers through¬ 
out the Order of Carmel. It is sweet to reflect that 
the Carmelites had care of the Holy House in Galilee 
and that when they were forced to fly, the Blessed 
Mother fled too, and that she confided once more to 
her Brothers of Carmel, that most precious Sanctuary 
where God was clothed with human nature, and our 
Redemption was begun. Truly, this is a venerable 
place, the House of God, and the gate of Heaven. 
Thus it may be seen that devotion to the Virgin 
Mother of God is the priceless inheritance of Carmel, 
handed down through long centuries, from the pro¬ 
phetic past; a devotion that cannot be too closely 
guarded and cherished by her children. The sweet¬ 
ness and joy of the Brothers and Sisters of Mary is to 
know their treasure, and realize their happiness in pos¬ 
sessing this dear Mother as their Chief, their model, 
their way and their strength. After Jesus, it is from 
her they draw, as from a source, the grace and perfec¬ 
tion of the exalted vocation granted them when they 
were called by God the Order of His Mother. 

Besides devotion to Mary, the twelve stars of the 
crown symbolize the twelve points of the Rule of Car¬ 
mel,—The rule says, “the first thing which we or¬ 
dain is, that you have one of your number as Prior 
.... to this Prior you are to promise Obedience, to¬ 
gether with Chastity and Poverty. Obedience is placed 
first, because in Carmel, as in most ancient orders of the 
Church, it was customary to specify only the one vow, 
as the others were included in it. Later, the Church 
thought it wiser to make mention of the other two. 


178 


Obedience is the soul of the Religious life, and without 
it the Religious life is impossible, because, as a body 
cannot live without a head, so a Community cannot 
exist without a Superior to govern and direct it. The 
spirit of obedience characteristic of Carmel should be 
like unto that of Jesus Christ, whose food was to do 
the will of His Father, and of Mary, whose entire life 
could be resolved into that one ineffable “Fiat,” pro¬ 
nounced at the moment of the Incarnation. St. Te¬ 
resa exhorts her children to obedience in the following- 
words : 

“Obedience is the short road to the summit of per¬ 
fection, and that is why the devil makes so many 
efforts to turn us from it. In what does perfection 
consist? Evidently it is neither in visions nor revela¬ 
tions, nor in interior consolations, but it consists in ren¬ 
dering the will so conformed and so submissive to the 
will of God, that we embrace with all our heart what¬ 
ever He wishes, and that we accept with equal joy 
what is bitter and what is sweet when we know it to 
be His good pleasure.” In practice, the spirit of obe¬ 
dience and dependence upon Superiors is carried to 
the most minute details, even to the asking permission 
for a sheet of paper, a pen, or a drink of water. 

For the perfection of the spirit of their vow of Chas¬ 
tity the Religious look to Mary, the Virgin Mother of 
God and the “Queen of Carmel.” She is their model 
and their spotless mirror. From her they learn to 
know and to love God, and God alone; to know all 
things in Him, and to know nothing out of Him. 
To love all things in His holy love, and to love no 


179 


thing out of Him, and thus to enter into the peace of 
Heaven, and the liberty of the children of God. 

The Poverty of Carmel is the poverty of the Cru¬ 
cifix. In each cell there hangs a cross of wood with 
no figure upon it, for the Religious is to see herself in 
spirit fastened there. Lifted above the earth, detached 
from all, she is to hang there with Jesus in the perfec¬ 
tion of the spirit of her vow of poverty. That blessed 
vow which is the key to the treasures of Heaven. 
“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the King¬ 
dom of Heaven.” St. Teresa in her way of Perfec¬ 
tion, instructs her children in the spirit of poverty 
that should be their portion. This happy poverty 
is a good, which includes all other goods; it is a grand 
domain, where we rule over the goods of this world, 
for he is master of them who despises them. “For 
the love of our Lord, my daughters, believe that your 
coat of arms is holy poverty; remember how in the 
beginning of your Order, it was esteemed, and so per¬ 
fectly observed, that our holy Fathers kept nothing 
from one day to another.” “Behold the arms upon our 
banners; let it be our dearest wish to keep holy pov¬ 
erty intact. May all be in harmony with this glorious 
device, our dwellings, our habits, our desires, our 
words and above all, our thoughts” .... “Let us 
in this resemble our King, who in this world had only 
the stable when he was born and the Cross whereon 
he died.” 

St. John of the Cross, who may be called the Master 
of the Spirit of Poverty, says: “He who is poor in 
spirit finds joy and contentment in being deprived of 


i8o 


all things, and he who desires nothing is always at 
liberty.” 

It would be impossible to exaggerate the poverty 
of spirit demanded of a Religious of Carmel. St. 
Gregory very happily says: “He who is warm takes off 
his garments that he may travel more quickly, while 
he who is cold, envelops himself in many, that he may 
be warmed; so the heart that is consumed with the 
love of God, despoils itself of all, that it may run more 
quickly in the ways of perfection; and flies from the 
insatiable cupidity of the sinner, frozen in the ways 
of life.” The heart of a Carmelite should be the heart 
of a seraph on fire with Divine love, unable to bear the 
weight of a straw or the attachment of a thread, that 
could retard its upward flight to union with the Heart 
of God. Kneeling for her Profession the Carmelite 
is asked: “What do you demand?” And she replies: 
“The Poverty of the Order,” such is the poverty which 
she demands. 

Recollection, Mental Prayer, and Silence, are essen¬ 
tial points in the Rule, which says, “ Each one 
should remain in or near his cell, meditating 
day and night on the Law of the Lord, and watch¬ 
ing in prayer unless he be prevented by some 
lawful occupation.” The only “lawful occupation” 
that can take a Religious of Carmel out of her 
cell, or the hermitage assigned her, is work appointed 
by obedience, and as soon as it is accomplished she 
flies once more to her Retreat, as the stone seeks its 
centre. St. Jerome, writing to Rusticus, says: “Look 
upon your cell as a Paradise, for me the city is a prison 


8i 


and solitude a place of delights.” St. Bernard says: 
“There is a strict alliance between Heaven and the 
cell. What is life in Heaven and what is life in the 
cell? It is to be occupied with God, and to enjoy God 
alone.” The life of a Carmelite within her cell should 
be continual prayer; it should be as natural to her to 
pray as to breathe; the cessation of prayer is a spiritual 
death for the soul, as the cessation of breathing is for 
the body. Every moment that is not occupied with 
God is lost for all eternity. To attain this, solitude is 
necessary, and is an essential means of perfection for a 
Carmelite, for solitude is the guardian of silence, the 
mother of recollection, the nurse of holy thoughts, the 
wall of the enclosure of prayer. There are three kinds 
of solitude, which should be united to form the perfect 
solitude of a Carmelite. The first is that of. the 
body, which is only holy inasmuch as it is accom¬ 
panied by that of the mind and heart; without 
the latter the first will be more animal than reasonable, 
because, as a saint of the Order says, to be solitary 
only in body is to be a beast in chains. A prisoner of 
the law in solitary confinement is a prey to agonies 
that men cannot think of without a shudder; death is 
considered preferable; that is because his solitude is 
only of the body; his mind and heart beat against his 
prison walls, and, feeding upon self, he dies of starva¬ 
tion. A Religious confined in the solitude of her cell 
enjoys while on earth the delights of Heaven; her mind 
and heart are absorbed in the Divine Perfection, and 
feeding upon God, she is strengthened unto life eternal. 
A Carmelite perpetuates in the Church the life of the 


182 


ancient hermits and solitaries and for a model looks 
to Elias. In the solitude of his retreat he was habitu¬ 
ally united to God, so that his mind was always occu¬ 
pied in knowing Him, and his heart in loving Him. 
All the powers of his soul were so concentrated in God 
that he never lost sight of His presence. “The Lord 
God of Israel liveth, in whose sight I stand.” The 
character of a man is known by his device, and such 
was the motto of this great prophet, and because of the 
celestial life which he led upon earth, God deemed 
him not only worthy of Heaven, but worthy of being 
raised up body and soul.* 

It is to guard the spirit of recollection and prayer 
that the Church has instituted cloister, because it is 
only in solitude that the creature can converse with 
the Creator. “I will lead her into solitude, and there I 
will speak to her heart.” This complete separation 
from all things created, from relations and human in¬ 
terests; this isolation from the vain distractions of the 
world, established by means of the grates and the high 
walls of the enclosure, is for the soul a principle of 
peace and happiness. The saints have said: “If 
there is a paradise on earth it is to be found in the 
cloister.” 

The enclosure is the space allotted to the Religious 
for their habitation, and beyond it they cannot go with¬ 
out violating the Rule. The strict cloister and the 
austere gates of Carmel are the result of wise ordinances 
of the Church. In the first centuries of Christianity 


*St. Ambrose I de Elia et Jesu c. 2. 




the cloister was not so rigorous, but little by little, the 
decrees of the Councils established it as it is to-day. 
It was at the Council of Carthage in 330, that the first 
rules for enclosure were made. The Sovereign Pon¬ 
tiffs sanctioned the decisions of the Councils and added 
several prescriptions, and in the 13th century, Urban 
I\. made the regulation, that in the Monasteries each 
grate should be armed with points of iron, as is ob¬ 
served in Carmel. St. Charles Borromeo, in his cele¬ 
brated councils of Milan, approved and generalized 
the use of the double grate ordained by St. Francis of 
Paula for his Religious, and even designated the dis¬ 
tance which should separate one from the other. He 
also wished the Religious to have their faces covered 
with a veil before persons from without, who should 
be obliged to enter into the cloister. 

St. Teresa, for whom the decisions of the Church 
were sacred, arranged the cloister for her daughters 
in accordance with its holy and venerable laws, and 
followed closely in her constitutions the decrees of the 
Council of Trent. 

The obligation of solitude is strictly united with 
that of silence, which is one of the fundamental points 
of the Rule. The Fathers of the Desert, the models 
of the eremitical life, which Carmel perpetuates in the 
Church, were most rigorous in the observance of this 
“holy and sacred silence.” St. Peter Damian writes: 
“When the noise of words ceases on your lips, the 
temple of God is built in your hearts by silence:” 

The silence of the tongue, the silence of the mind 
and the silence of the heart are absolutely necessary to 


8 4 


a life of prayer. Not only have the Religious to guard 
the silence of words, but of actions, so that in time of 
“great silence,” no work is done that would make a 
noise, and the Religious make use of signs if com¬ 
munication be necessary. A profound silence reigns 
in all the Monastery, and when the Religious have to 
leave their cells, their alpargates (sandals woven of 
cord) awaken no echo. The ticking of the clock is 
often the only sound in the silent cloisters. It is the 
same with the Fathers as with the Nuns. Fr. Peter 
of the Mother of God, writing of the practice of soli¬ 
tude and silence in the Monasteries says: “Our Re¬ 
ligious have signs, which they use when necessary so 
that in a Monastery with thirty or forty* inmates, no 
sound is heard in strict silence and one can go through 
the cloister without meeting a single Religious on the 
way. It would seem that there was no one in the Mon¬ 
astery until the bell calls them to the choir or place as¬ 
signed. At the sound of the bell the Religious leave 
their cells, as the ancient hermits left their solitary 
grottoes, and assemble in the choir of the Monastery 
to sing the praises of God, for the recitation of the 
Divine OiTi ce is another point of the Rule. The Di¬ 
vine Office is a sacred duty of prayer and praise, in¬ 
stituted by the authority of the Church for the public 
worship of Almighty God. This act of homage is 
offered seven times a day at stated intervals, which are 
called the seven Canonical Hours of Matins, Lauds, 
Prime,Tierce, Sext, None, Vespers and Complin. The 

♦The Monasteries of the Fathers are not limited to twenty- 
,*ne as are those of the Nuns. 



>»5 


Church sanctifies each of these divisions of time with 
appropriate hymns and psalms of praise, so that the 
entire day is made holy to the Lord. 

Different Religious Orders have different hours ap¬ 
pointed for the recitation of the Office. In Carmel, 
after an hour of Mental prayer, Prime, Tierce, Sext 
and None are said in the morning before Mass begins. 
At two o’clock Vespers are recited, and Complin at 
half past seven. Matins and Lauds, with the con¬ 
cluding prayers of the day, are said between nine and 
eleven at night, by the Nuns, and at midnight, by the 
Fathers. After the august sacrifice of the Mass, the 
Divine Office is the most holy and sublime act of Re¬ 
ligion, because of its close resemblance to the occupa¬ 
tion of the Angels and Saints in Heaven, who sing 
continually the praises of God. 

Here earth unites with Heaven, and the incense of 
praise rises to the throne of God and draws down upon 
mankind an effusion of Divine grace and benediction. 
Here the King holds His Court, and the Religious are 
admitted to an audience. They present with confi¬ 
dence the petitions of all who ask their intercession, 
and their power is unlimited, because they are before 
the King, not as private individuals, but as officials, ap¬ 
pointed by the Church for that exalted duty. They 
are the representatives of Jesus Christ, who speaks 
through them to His Eternal Father. The Office is 
ordinarily recited with pause, but on Feast days it is 
chanted. The chant is only on one note, that the in¬ 
tricacies of music may not be a distraction or turn the 
attention from the contemplation of Divine things. 


86 


The recitation or chanting is accompanied with many 
beautiful ceremonies. Earthly courts have their code 
of etiquette, which is observed with decorum and pre¬ 
cision; with how much more reason have special 
ceremonies been decreed by the Church for the Court 
of the King of Kings! The ceremonies of the Divine 
Office, like those of the Mass, have been held sacred 
from time immemorial, and St. Teresa, who was ever a 
loyal daughter of the Church, esteemed them with 
such faith and devotion, that her biographers tell us 
she would have died for the fulfillment of a rubric. 

After the choir the Chapter Room is the most sacred 
spot in the Monastery. Here are held the old Mon¬ 
astic exercises for the perfecting of regular observance. 
Here the Religious are renewed in the fervor of their 
holy vocation and strengthened to run more speedily 
in the ways of the Lord. 

The Rule of Carmel prescribes continual Abstinence 
and Fasting during the greater part of the year. The 
long fast of the Order begins on Sept. 14th and lasts 
until Easter. During Lent and on special days the 
fast is more rigorous. There are many other penances 
practised in the Order, and the point of Supererogation 
permits those who have sufficient strength to go even 
farther in the practise of austerity than the Rule or¬ 
dains. Manual Labor is an essential point of the Rule, 
which says: “You shall perform some manual labor 
in order that the devil may always find you occupied,” 
and furthermore because, “he who would eat must 
work.” These points may come under the head of 
Christian Sacrifice and miay be treated together. Hu- 


187 


mility must accompany all or they are of no worth. 

All Christians are obliged to follow Christ in His 
sufferings if they wish to follow Him in His glory, but 
the Carmelite who, by her vocation, is a victim to ap¬ 
pease the Divine wrath for the sins of the world, must 
follow Him step by step to Calvary, leading as He did, 
an humble, laborious, penitential life, in the rigor of 
long fasts, watchings and penances of every kind. 

By entering into the dispositions of the adorable 
Saviour of mankind and uniting all suffering with His, 
the Carmelite acquires the true spirit of penance, and 
all that would naturally be hard is sweetened by the 
contemplation of the Victim on Calvary, dying for the 
souls He loved more than His life. Many books 
could not contain all that the Fathers have written in 
praise of fasting and penance. St. Leo says: “Fasting 
renders us strong against sin, abases pride, nourishes 
good will, and enables us to practice faithfully all vir¬ 
tues. St. Athanasius says: “Fasting is the nourish¬ 
ment of Angels.” St. Basil, speaking of Elias, who 
fasted forty days, says: “By this abstinence, he was 
elevated in this life to see God as clearly as He can be 
seen by a creature.” The Saints have given us heroic 
examples of fasting and penance and the Saints of 
Carmel have ever been conspicuous for their austeri¬ 
ties. The motto of St. Teresa was, “To suffer, or to 
die,” and speaking one day to her daughters, she said: 
“Do you not know that the life of a good Religious, 
who aspires to friendship with God, is a long martyr¬ 
dom?” 


Manual labor is strenuously urged in the Rule. 
Work was the first penance imposed by God upon sin¬ 
ners, and as a public penitent for her own sins and for 
the sins of the whole world, the Carmelite is obliged 
to it as an imperative duty. Her useful and assiduous 
work should oppose the idleness and sloth of the world 
and above all of the rich, who waste in pleasure-seek¬ 
ing many hours of time far more precious than the 
gold they spend. A lost soul would willingly suffer 
torments to the day of judgment for one moment of 
the time, that is thrown away like dust by those who 
are blind to its value. One moment of time well spent 
can purchase an eternity of happiness. Work is a 
safeguard and the devil has few snares for the soul 
that is always occupied. Apart from the question of 
penance, the poverty of the Order obliges the Car¬ 
melite to work. Jesus was “poor and in labors from 
His youth.” He earned His bread in the sweat of His 
brow, and so too must the faithful Religious. It is 
true the Carmelite lives mostly on alms, and is fed by 
the bounty of God through the charity of the faithful, 
but this is because so much of the day is spent in 
prayer, that in the hours between the religious exer¬ 
cises, it would be impossible to earn a sufficient sup¬ 
port. Every spare moment after the long hours of 
prayer and the labor of the house, is given to making 
articles of devotion, which are sold for the benefit of 
the Community. The Constitution prohibits elaborate 
or “curious work,” which requires “so' much skill as 
to engage the mind and turn it away from the medita¬ 
tion of divine things.” The Religious make Scapu- 


189 


lars, and also the Scapular Robe for the dead—the 
Carmelite habit, which so many souls have worn to 
meet their God—they chain Rosaries, arrange relic 
cases, make vestments and articles for the Church, and 
in fine do all they can, “laboring night and day” like 
the holy Apostle Paul, “lest they be burdensome to 
anyone.” They work alone in their cells and so mingle 
prayer and labor, that labor does not distract prayer 
and prayer perfects labor. In the cloister hangs a 
board dividing the sweeping of the house among the 
Religious, and the name of the Prioress heads the list, 
that she may give example of humility. 

Penance and manual labor are strong walls to guard 
the precious flower of humility, for they effectually 
shut out self love, which is the root of pride. St. 
Teresa says: “Humility and mortification are two sis¬ 
ters that we should never separate; he who possesses 
them can combat against all hell united together, 
against the world and all its attractions.” 

The penance of a Carmelite is not only useful for the 
expiation of her own sins, but it is a power in the world 
as well. Fr. Felix of Jesus says: “In human society, 
Carmel is a great conservative power, because in real¬ 
izing the ideal of sacrifice, it constitutes an efficacious 
reaction against the radical disorder of humanity. 
Carmel is a social Bulwark. That which saves society 
is not that which is seen upon the surface of things, 
the power of industry, of war, of genius, of letters, of 
arts. That which saves society is what touches its 
depths in a fruitful silence, called the “silence of good 
things.” It is a latent force that reacts against the 


9 ° 


disorder which is the principle of all disorders. This 
disorder is selfishness (egoism), the love of self pushed 
to the hatred of others and even to the hatred of God. 
To this evil there is an efficacious remedy—it is Chris¬ 
tian sacrifice in its plenitude and ideal—Christian sac¬ 
rifice pushed to abnegation, that is to say to total im¬ 
molation. There lies the secret of the power for re¬ 
pairing all human disorders, because there is the only 
efficacious reaction against selfishness. Christian sac¬ 
rifice when it is absolute, is the death of selfishness, it 
is a life humiliated, despoiled, flagellated, immolated 
and crucified, in one word it is the life of death to self, 
looking to Calvary and crying with St. Paul: “I live 
now, not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Behold the rem¬ 
edy of selfishness, behold the repairing sacrifice, the 
only thing truly salutary in humanity! Selfishness 
never protected nor saved anyone, when people need 
to be saved, it is only accomplished by suffering and 
sacrifice. I affirm this law which I believe with an 
invincible faith, to sacrifice oneself is to save others. 
It is thus that is accomplished in humanity, the grand 
law of human and fraternal obligation. Every soul in 
renouncing self, gives to another soul. Whoever suf¬ 
fers voluntarily lifts a suffering from another. Hence 
you can understand, that Carmel is a salutary power 
in humanity and comprehend why I call Carmel a 
Social Bulwark. It is because Carmel appears in the 
midst of Christianity as the complete realization of 
Christian Sacrifice. It is the ideal in Christian life: 
it is the absolute in sacrifice, for a Carmelite is a vic¬ 
tim vowed to immolation for the salvation of the 
world.” 


CHAPTER XIII. 


DEVOTIONS OF CARMEL 


ONTEMPLATION perfects the soul, because 



the true contemplative leads the life of God and 
fulfills the design of Jesus Christ, when He said: “Be 
ye perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect,” that is, be 
ye perfect by leading the same manner of life led by 
my Father. In God we may distinguish two kinds of 
action; the one interior, by which He retires within 
Himself wholly separated from the commerce of crea¬ 
tures, and the other exterior, by which He manifests 
Himself to creatures and communicates Himself to 
them. So we may say, the life of God is, first, to 
know and love Himself, and second, to give Himself 
to creatures, and in like manner it may be said, the 
life of Carmel is, first, to know and love God, and sec¬ 
ond, to give God to creatures. Thus Carmel, 
though hidden, solitary and retired in the bosom 
of the Church, yet goes out to souls, by offering them 
the richest fruits of devotion and piety to feed and 
nourish them on their journey through the valley of 


tears. 


Great and solid devotions in the Church may al¬ 
most invariably be traced to the contemplative Orders, 




192 


for in the silence of the Cloister, God can speak to 
hearts trained to catch the breathings of the spirit, the 
whisper of inspiration that would be lost amid the 
tumult of the world. The secrets of Heaven thus con¬ 
fided to some chosen soul, become well springs of 
grace to the parched and barren earth. Carmel has 
heard the word of God, and it has brought forth a 
hundred fold, so Carmel has her devotions, fruits 
of solid piety, that have taken form in the Church as 
confraternities, and extend innumerable graces and 
privileges to all the faithful. The word confraternity 
beautifully expresses the universal brotherhood of the 
Catholic Church, whose members are all of one body, 
with one head,—Christ Jesus,—and exemplifies the 
consoling doctrine of the Communion of Saints—a 
communion of all holy persons in all holy things. 
Relations of grateful love and mutual charity exist 
between the Religious of Carmel, and the souls who 
come to join in her devotions and seek her prayers. 
The charity of the faithful makes the life of the con¬ 
templative possible, and the contemplative returns this 
charity by offering to the faithful the fruit of her union 
with God. 

Carmel not only invites souls to come and eat of 
the “fruits of her vineyard and the best fruits thereof,” 
but she clothes them as well, in the garment of salva¬ 
tion and the livery of the Queen of Heaven. The 
bestowal of a garment is token of most intimate friend¬ 
ship. Jacob gave to Joseph, the child of his predilec¬ 
tion, a robe of many colors as pledge of his most 
tender love. Anna brought to her little son Samuel, 


*93 


a tunic made by her own hands as token of her ma¬ 
ternal solicitude. Jonathan despoiled himself of his 
princely garments to clothe David, because he loved 
him “as his own soul” and Eliseus demanded the 
mantle of Elias, as the most precious inheritance of his 
departing father ) so the most holy Virgin has woven 
in Heaven a garment for her exiled children, and has 
made the Order of Carmel her almoner, to distribute 
the precious gift as a token of her unceasing care and 
a “sign of salvation.” The Scapular then is the great 
and distinctive devotion of Carmel, the priceless treas¬ 
ure of Mary’s chosen Order. The extraordinary 
favors accorded to it, through the infinite mercy of 
God, have been gratefully received and treasured for 
centuries by the learned and the simple, the great and 
the humble children of Mary, the Mother of Mercy, 
and Queen of Carmel. 

The Scapular is a habit known to all branches of the 
Carmelite Order. The Brothers and Sisters of the 
Order wear it in its true form, and large dimensions. 
The Tertiaries wear it in its true form, but ir. mod¬ 
erate proportions, and finally, the members of the Con¬ 
fraternity wear a sort of representation of it, so that 
the form and dimensions are much reduced in size, 
but according to concessions of the Sovereign Pontiff, 
all enjoy the privileges and spiritual favors attached to 
this holy garment. 

According to the etymology of the word, the Scapu¬ 
lar is a long, narrow garment, which simply covers 
the shoulders and falls equally before and behind 
nearly to the feet. The use of this garment is of the 


i 9 4 


greatest antiquity in Carmel. John 44th, who lived 
about the year 400, in the work entitled, “The Institu¬ 
tion of the First Monks,” gives a description of a gar¬ 
ment almost identical in form with the present Scapu¬ 
lar, which he calls super hunter ale, and which was worn 
by the Solitaries of the old Testament.* The Abbot 
Dorotheus speaks also of a garment like it, in use 
amongst the Monks of Syria and Palestine, which he 
calls in Greek , “amXjSov ”—•“analabe ” 

Some ancient authors have thought that the Scapu¬ 
lar was primitively a working garment, worn for labor, 
and when heavy burdens were to be carried on the 
shoulders, but Fr. Theophile Raynaud, S. J., in his work 
on the Scapular shows that this working garment, 
although it was also called Scapular, was entirely dif¬ 
ferent in form from that worn by the Religious of 
Carmel, and that in consequence it could not be con¬ 
founded with it. It appears beyond doubt, that in the 
Order of Carmel, as with the Monks of Syria and 
Palestine, the Scapular was an integral part of the re¬ 
ligious costume, and that it had even then a mystical 
signification. John of Jerusalem, already cited, says 
that the Scapular or superhumerale in use among the 
Religious of Carmel, signified to them the sacred yoke 
of obedience, to which they voluntarily submitted for 
the love of God, on the day when they solemnly made 
the vow in the hands of the Superior or Abbot of the 
Monastery. This habit, which they wore always, kept 
them in continual remembrance of their holy engage- 

* “ Super humeralibus etiam prisci religionis professores tempore 
Legis veteris, utebantur.” 



*95 


ment. This mystical signification of the holy Scapu¬ 
lar is faithfully perpetuated in the Order of Carmel 
even to the present day, for in the prayers of the 
Manual for the ceremony of Profession, it is appointed 
that the Superior should place the Scapular over the 
neck of the novice, kneeling to pronounce her vows, 
saying, “Receive the sweet yoke of Christ, and His 
light burden in the name of the Father and of the Son 
and of the Holy Ghost Amen.”* 

The Abbot Dorotheus, speaking of the Scapular of 
the Monks of Palestine and Syria, says, “We have an 
“analabc,” that is to say, a scapular, which we wear 
upon our shoulders, and which represents to us the 
Cross of the Lord. We wear this garment always, to 
recall without ceasing the word of Jesus Christ: “If 
anyone wishes to come after Me, let him take up his 
cross and follow Me.” St. Ephrem, speaking of the 
Scapular worn by the monks of his time, says that it 
had the power to put demons to flight, and that it in¬ 
spired much terror to them, because it represented the 
Cross of the Saviour, and he gives an example of St. 
Julien, a monk, who escaped miraculously from the 
power of the demons, by means of the Scapular. St. 
Ephrem forthwith exhorts the monks never to go out 
of their cells without this holy garment. As the 
Scapular had been from time immemorial the most 
sacred part of the monastic habit, and as it had al¬ 
ready a symbolic meaning for the Religious of the 
Order, it is in harmony with Christian piety to under- 

*Tolle jugum Christi suave et onus ejus leve. In nomine Patris 
et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. 



196 


stand the choice of the most holy Virgin, when she 
preferred it to any other sign, as the distinctive mark 
of the privileged children of her heart, and the pledge 
of promises by which she . wished to testify her love. 
It is as though she said, this is the sweet yoke of your 
obedience to the law of God; this is the sign of your 
good will—it represents to you the light burden of the 
Cross of Imy Son that you must carry after Him; 
while you wear it you are my most dear children, I 
will be to you a mother, and I shall plead for you so 
earnestly that the grace of my Son shall not fail 
you in the hour of death. The Gospel for the Feast 
of our Lady of Mt. Carmel is the Gospel of Calvary 
where Jesus said: “Woman, behold thy son—son be¬ 
hold thy mother.” The Feast of Carmel may be 
called the Feast of the Motherhood of Mary; and the 
Scapular is a pledge of that love greater than all loves 
which she, the best of all mothers, has for her chil¬ 
dren. The Confraternity of Mt. Carmel is surely the 
oldest of Confraternities, as there are indulgences ex¬ 
tant which were accorded to it by Pope Leo IV. in 
847. It was established in the West by the hermits 
when they were driven from Palestine by the persecu¬ 
tion of the Saracens, but it received new lustre and a 
marvellous increase after the gift which was the fruit 
of the prayers of St. Simon Stock. 

Simon Stock of a noble family of England, was born 
in 1164 at the Chateau of Hereford, in the County 
Kent, of which his father was Governor. From his 
youth he was favored with such extraordinary grace 
that he felt drawn to solitude, and at the age of twelve 


*9 7 


years retired to a dense forest, where he gave himself 
up to the most incredible austerities. He lived on 
herbs and roots, a fountain furnished him with water; 
for bed, oratory and cell, he had the trunk of a tree,’ 
where he could hardly stand upright. Here prayer 
was his only occupation, and his soul, by this holy 
exercise, acquired such perfect purity that it became 
like the angels. The Mother of God visited him 
nearly every day, and his communications with our 
Lord were so frequent, that his happiness seemed like 
the felicity of the Saints. He lived in this way nearly 
twenty years, when the Religious of Mt. Carmel came 
to establish themselves in England; he had been 
warned of their arrival by a particular revelation, and 
the Blessed Virgin told him to join them. He did so 
and then went to the Holy Land to imbibe the spirit 
of Elias. He remained there six years and his life 
was a continual ecstacy. The Blessed Virgin fed him 
with food from Heaven that seemed like manna. 
Afterwards he went to England and was elected Gen¬ 
eral of the Order. Soon terrible trials came to the 
Order and St. Simon, full of confidence in Mary, 
placed all his difficulties in her hands. After some 
years of vows, prayers, sighs and tears, he had the 
consolation of being heard in a most astonishing man¬ 
ner. His prayer, like that of Elias, opened the 
heavens and brought down the Virgin Mother of God 
with rich treasures of grace to the needy and suffering 
world. Fr. Peter Swanington, companion, secretary 
and confessor of the Saint, writes of him, that he was 
broken with age and weakened by the austerities of 


198 


his penitential life and that he often passed nights in 
prayer, sighing over the afflictions of his brethren. 
One day while at prayer he was filled with heavenly 
consolation, which he related to the Community as 
follows: 

“My Very Dear Brothers: 

Blessed be God, who has not abandoned those who 
put their confidence in Him and who has not despised 
the prayers of His servants. Blessed be the most 
holy Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ! She hath re¬ 
membered the ancient days and the tribulations which 
on all sides surround you, who do not reflect that 
those who live piously in Jesus Christ shall suffer per¬ 
secution, and she addresses you this word, which you 
will receive with the joy of the Holy Spirit: I pray 
this Spirit to guide my tongue that I may properly 
communicate it to you. When I was pouring out my 
soul in the presence of the Lord, dust and ashes that 
I am, I prayed with all confidence to the Holy Virgin, 
my Sovereign, that as she had been pleased to name 
us her Brethren, she would also have the goodness 
to let us see that she was our Mother, by delivering 
us from our afflictions and procuring us consideration 
and esteem, by some sensible sign of her protection 
before those who persecuted us. Then I said, with 
tender sighs: *“ Flower of Carmel , fruitful vine , 
splendor of Heaven, Virgin Mother of the Son of God. 
Amiable Mother, ever Virgin, give to thy ,children of 

* 1 he prayer in italics is the famous “Flos Carmeli’’ which 
is called the nrraculous prayer of Carmel and has been trans¬ 
lated into every language in prose and verse. 




l 99 


Carmel the privilege of thy protection , Star of the Sea,’' 
when she appeared to me with her heavenly court, and 
holding in her hand the habit [scapular] of the Order, 
she said: “This will be the sign of the privilege that 
I have obtained for thee and for the children of Car¬ 
mel; whoever dies [piously] clothed with this habit 
will be preserved from eternal flames;”* and as the 
glorious presence of the holy Virgin rejoiced me be¬ 
yond all I can express and as I could not, miserable 
wretch that I am, bear the sight of her majesty, she 
said to me as she disappeared, that I had only to send 
a deputation to his holiness Innocent, the Vicar of her 
Son, and that he would not fail to grant a remedy for 
all our troubles. While preserving, my Brethren, this 
word in your heart, endeavor to make sure your elec¬ 
tion by good works and strive never to sin. Watch, 
and offer thanksgiving for so great a favor, pray with¬ 
out ceasing, that the word communicated to me, may 
be verified to the glory of the Holy Trinity. Blessed 
forever be the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, 
and the Virgin Mary.” 

Fr. Swanington, under date July 16, 1251, wrote 
this same account at the dictation of the Saint, with a 
letter of consolation to the Brethren elsewhere. The 
first miracle of the Scapular was worked on the very 
day that St. Simon received it from the hands of the 

* The Church in the Breviary has seen fit to put the word “scapu¬ 
lar ” instead of habit. Though Carmelites know that the Scapular 
is an integral part of the habit, yet it might not be understood by 
the faithful at large. The word “ piously ” has also been inserted, 
as explanatory of the meaning of our Lady, and to prevent all 
doubts that might arise. 



Holy Virgin. Fr. Swanington wrote the account in 
Latin and it is translated as follows: 

“The 16th of July, while the blessed Simon Stock 
was going with me to Winchester, to obtain from the 
Bishop of that city some letters to the Sovereign Pon¬ 
tiff, Innocent IV., we saw coming to meet us Dom 
Peter of Lington, dean of the Church of Winchester, 
who implored the blessed Simon Stock to hasten to 
the aid of his brother who was dying in despair. This 
man’s name was Walter; he was petulant, haughty, 
quarrelsome and given to practising magic; he des¬ 
pised the Sacraments and tormented all his neigh¬ 
bors. In a quarrel with a nobleman he had been 
mortally wounded, and seeing himself near the tri¬ 
bunal of God; in the horrors of remorse caused by the 
remembrance of his crimes recalled to him by the 
demon, he would not hear of God or the Sacraments, 
but cried out and blasphemed: “I am damned! It is 
to thee, O devil, I leave the care of avenging my mur¬ 
der!” 

We entered the house and he foamed with rage, 
ground his teeth and rolled his eyes like a furious 
animal. St. Simon Stock, seeing that he was about 
to expire, and had already lost the use of his senses, 
made the sign of the cross and laid upon him the holy 
Scapular of Carmel; then lifting his eyes to Heaven 
he prayed to God to give time for repentance, that a 
soul bought with the price of the Blood of Jesus Christ 
might not become the prey of the demon. All at once 
the sick man regained his strength, recovered the use 
of his senses, and making the sign of the Cross, cried 


against the demon, saying with tears: “Alas, wretch 
that I am, how terrible is the fear of my damna¬ 
tion! My sins are more numerous than the sands of 
the sea! O my God, Thy mercy is above Thy justice, 
have pity on me, and you, my Father, help me.” 

At these words I went off to one side, with Dom 
Peter, who told me that, seeing his brother obstinate in 
his impenitence, he knelt down to pray for him, and he 
heard a voice saying: “Rise, Peter, seek my servant 
Simon, who is now on a journey and make him come 
here.” He looked about to see who had spoken, but 
saw no one, and three times he heard the same voice. 
So thinking it a voice from Heaven, he mounted a 
horse and set out in search of the Venerable Simon 
Stock and gave thanks to the Lord that he had found 
him so soon. Walter, after his confession, renounced 
publicly all his engagements with the devil, received 
the Sacraments and gave signs of true repentance. He 
made his will, and obliged his brother under oath to 
restore all property that he had taken unjustly and to 
repair all the injuries he had committed; then, about 
eight o’clock that night he expired. Some time after 
he appeared to his brother, telling him he was in the 
mansions of peace and that by the aid of the most 
holy Queen of Angels, and by the Scapular of the 
blessed Simon Stock, he had escaped the snares of the 
devil. The noise of this event spread through the 
city. Dom Peter wrote the account to the Bishop of 
Winchester. The Bishop assembled an Episcopal 
Council, where he resolved to question the blessed 
Simon Stock on the virtue of his habit. The latter 


202 


obeyed the invitation, and replied to all inquiries and his 
deposition was duly registered. After this miracle of 
the Holy Virgin, Dorn Peter offered the Carmelites a 
home in Winchester and built for them a beautiful Mon¬ 
astery.”* Fr. Swanington continues: “The renown 
of this prodigy spread rapidly throughout England 
and even beyond; a great number of cities offered 
monasteries to the Religious, and many noblemen 
came to beg the favor of being affiliated to our holy 
Order, so that dying in our habit, they might obtain, 
through the merits of the glorious Virgin Mary, a 
happy death.” The prodigies worked through the 
Scapular have continued to the present day, and their 
recital would fill a library. It is safe to say, that there 
is not a city or town of any importance that cannot 
relate its miracles of the Scapular. This is testimony 
written by the finger of God, in proof of the love and 
the power of Mary the Mother of Mercy. One more 
great privilege must be mentioned. It is that granted 
by Pope John XXII. in 1322, which he promulgated 
what is commonly called the “Sabbatine Bull.” It is 
called “Sabbatine” from the word Saturday, because it 
refers to the promise made by our Blessed Lady, to 
deliver from Purgatory on the Saturday after their 
death, those who in addition to wearing the 
Scapular, have fulfilled certain conditions which she 
appointed. There are numerous indulgences granted 
to all who wear the Scapular with devotion, and mem¬ 
bers of the Confraternity share in all the good works 


*See Vie de S. Simon Stock by M. Alfred Monbrun. 



2 °3 


of the whole Order of Carmel, but the privilege of “the 
Saturday’’ is something different and refers to the next 
hfe.* “It is permitted to piously believe, that the 
Blessed and Most Holy Virgin Mary, special Patron 
of the Order and of all the faithful who wear the 
Habit or Scapular of the Confraternity and who ob¬ 
serve what is appointed to gain the above-mentioned 
privilege, will aid these souls principally on Saturday, 
by her efficacious prayers, to leave the cruel pains of 
Purgatory and to go to enjoy with her eternal glory 
m the celestial Country.” The conditions are: 

First—That they wear the Habit or the Scapular of 
the Order of Mt. Carmel properly blessed. That is 
to say, the first Scapular received must be blessed, but 
the blessing is not necessary for those that replace it. 

Second—That they guard chastity according to 
their state. 

Third That those who know how to read will say 
the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, and that those 
who do not know how to recite this Office will abstain 
from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays, except 
when Christmas falls on either of these days. Many 
Popes have confirmed this privilege, and it has been 
a source of consolation for ages to numbers of the 
faithful. Some have questioned so great a favor, but if 
they reflected more on the conditions and less on th< 
privilege, they might not think it so surprising. Three 
great evils afflict the human race—immorality, avarice 
and pride. The conditions laid down by our Lady 


*See Berthold of St. Ignatius in his work on the Scapular. 



deal a direct and deadly blow at this triple-headed 
monster of Sin, the great dragon she came to crush 
beneath her heel. Man sins through immorality. 
Our Lady says “guard chastity.” Man is avaricious, 
our Lady appoints “prayer,” which alone can close the 
eyes to the vanities of earth and open them to the 
treasures of Heaven. Man is proud; our Lady says 
“fast,” fof fasting subdues the spirit. The soul who 
follows our Lady will soon part company with sin. 
Ecclesiasticus says of Wisdom: “He that worketh in 
her shall not sin,” And the soul free of sin is free of 
Purgatory. The conditions are easy, but if one fol¬ 
lows them faithfully he will soon find himself on the 
straight road to perfection. But where then is the 
privilege? The privilege is the promise, the assured 
word of our Lady which rises as a star of hope, a 
beacon light to all who tread the narrow path. Cheered 
by its beauty, they know not the toils of the way. 
Listen to Wisdom: “In me is all grace of the way.” 
Yes, in Mary is all grace of the way that leadeth to life 
eternal, and may there be many who find that blessed 
path! 


THE ARCH CONFRATERNITY OF THE 
HOLY FACE. 

The devotion of the Holy Face began on the road 
to Calvary at the sixth station, when the noble Roman 
Matron Veronica, braved the impious Jewish rabble to 
bring comfort to her suffering Lord. She was the 



205 


first repairer of the insults heaped upon His sacred 
countenance, and her spirit still lives in thousands of 
souls united in the bonds of charity and the spirit of 
Reparation, to atone for the outrages committed on 
the Calvary of to-day. 

The veil of Veronica, with the impression of the 
suffering Face of the Redeemer, is one of the most 
precious relics of the Vatican, and devotion to it had 
already existed in the Church for ages, but without 
special form, when in 1816 was born a little Bretonne, 
Pierrine Eluere, afterwards known as Sister Saint- 
Pierre, the holy Carmelite of Tours, to whom God 
was pleased to reveal Plis wish, that a special Cultus of 
the Holy Face should have place in the Church. The 
Sister suffered and prayed for many years, she was 
tested and tried in every way, as her wonderful Life* 
will show, but it was not until after her death that her 
mission was fully accomplished. M. Dupont, the 
Holy Man of Tours, was chosen by God to aid in 
spreading the devotion; he brought it to the knowl¬ 
edge of the outside world, while the humble Religious 
received the secret inspiration of Heaven. The life 
of Sister Saint-Pierre is the key and necessary 
harbinger of that of M. Dupont. These two beauti¬ 
ful lives uphold, explain and mutually complete each 
other, both being intimately united in the same work, 
—'‘The Reparation of Blasphemy and of the Profana¬ 
tion of the Sunday, by the worship of the Holy Face.” 

Sister Saint Pierre died in July, 1848. In January, 


*Life of St. Pierre compiled by Rev. P. Janvier. 



20 6 


1849, Pius IX., tllen exile( l at Gaeta, ordered public 
prayers to be offered before the most precious relics 
of the Vatican. The wood of the True Cross and the 
Veil of Veronica were then exposed, and the devotions 
were begun, when it was noticed that the image of 
the Holy Face impressed on the Veil, appeared dis¬ 
tinctly through its covering of silk; on the third day 
of the exposition, the veil became suffused with color 
and the Face of our Lord showed itself in full relief 
and with the eyes animated and with a profound ex¬ 
pression of severity. The Canons who were on guard 
immediately sent information to the Clergy of the 
Basilica, the great bells were rung, the people as¬ 
sembled, and for three hours the miracle was witnessed 
by an immense multitude. A Notary was summoned, 
an act drawn up and sent to the Holy Father at Gaeta. 
For several days nothing was spoken of at Rome but 
this astonishing miracle. In the evening, some veils 
of white silk bearing copies of the true effigy, were 
touched to the original and sent to France. A few 
of these veils went to Tours, to the Carmelite Mon¬ 
astery, and the Mother Prioress gave two to M. Du¬ 
pont; one he gave to one of the Lazarist Fathers at 
Tours, the other he kept for his own devotion. For 
twenty-five years he honored it in his oratory, kept a 
light always before it, and obtained through it most 
extraordinary miracles of grace and bodily cures. M. 
Dupont looked upon the miracle of the Vatican as a 
presage in favor of the revelations made to Sister St. 
Pierre, which were still under Episcopal seal. After 
the death of M. Dupont, the Prioress of the Carmel of 


Tours immediately bought his house that it might be 
transformed into an Oratory. This was done with the 
approbation of the Bishop. The devotion to the Holy 
Face increased daily more and more, in the pious 
Oratory, pilgrimages became more numerous and M. 
1 ‘Abbe Janvier, Dean of the Metropolitan Chapter of 
Tours, was of opinion that the time had arrived for the 
canonical establishment of a Confraternity of Repara¬ 
tion in the Oratory of M. Dupont. The petition was 
made and favorably answered. The Archbishop of 
Tours signed the Ordinance Oct. 25, 1884, and Leo 
XIII. granted many indulgences to the members. 
Scarcely had the Confraternity been established, when 
it spread rapidly, not only in France, but throughout 
the world. Everywhere desires were expressed to 
participate in the treasures of the City and Diocese of 
St. Martin. Pressing solicitations were made to M. 
Janvier, and at length he addressed a petition to Leo 
XIII. to obtain the elevation of the Confraternity to 
the dignity of an Arch-Confraternity. The petition 
was signed by fifty-seven Cardinals, Archbishops and 
prelates of distinction, and among the names were 
those of Cardinal McCluskey; Archbishop, now Car¬ 
dinal Gibbons of Baltimore; Archbishop Elder of Cin¬ 
cinnati; Bishop Keane of Richmond and Bishop Jan¬ 
sens, so America was nobly represented. 

According to the custom of the Court of Rome, the 
favor could only be granted by degrees, for instance, 
first for France, then for the neighboring countries, 
and after a certain time for the remainder of the 
world, so a prolonged waiting of years was expected. 


208 


Sept. 15th, 1885, the Cardinal Prefect of the Sacred 
Congregation of Rites was present at the audience of 
the Holy Father, and his Eminence, wishing to obtain 
a great favor, asked that the title of Arch-Confratern¬ 
ity should be given there and then for the whole of 
France (pro Gallia). The Holy Father listened and 
reflected, what was passing in his heart is known only 
to God. Had he an intimation of the good the worship 
of the Holy Face was destined to effect, or did the 
Holy Man of Tours, whose cause of canonization had 
commenced, exercise some secret influence, or was 
Sister St. Pierre to have her reward in Heaven for her 
years of doubt and suffering on earth,—whatever may 
have been the cause, the decision of the Sovereign 
Pontiff was immediate, absolute and distinctly for¬ 
mulated. Leo XIII. wrote with his own blessed hand, 
‘‘Non tam pro Gallia, quam ubique ”—“not only for 
France, but for the whole world.” The devotion 
spread with astonishing rapidity, the pilgrimages were 
so numerous that the Archbishop instituted a Society 
of Regular clergy under the title of “Priests of the 
Holy Face.” They now live in the house formerly 
occupied by M. Dupont, follow his footsteps and under 
his auspices devote themselves to all the Reparative 
works of the period. The oratory of the Holy Face 
has grown to be a centre of prayer and expiation for 
all Christendom. Other Confraternities have been es¬ 
tablished, and it would be impossible to calculate the 
number of pictures of the Holy Face exposed in pri¬ 
vate houses, oratories, hospitals, Religious communi¬ 
ties, public chapels, parochial Churches and Cathe- 


209 


drals. The Oratory of the Holy Face at Tours is a 
distinct organization from the Carmel of Tours, but 
Carmel is intimately associated with the work in spirit, 
and every Carmelite Convent may be regarded as a 
centre of devotion. The oil burned in the lamps be¬ 
fore the sacred pictures that have touched the original, 
has worked many astonishing cures, and is much 
sought for by the sick and suffering. 


THE ARCH-CONFRATERNITY OF THE 
HOLY INFANCY. 

Of all the wonders of the hidden life of our Lord 
at Nazareth until his thirtieth year, the mysteries 
of the Holy Infancy are alone revealed to us in the 
Gospel narrative. Silent as to the rest, the Holy 
Spirit would seem to concentrate our attention upon 
the simplicity and meekness of the Holy Child, in the 
sweet abasement of His tender Infancy. The mys¬ 
teries of His early life have always been dear to Chris¬ 
tians, but it has been reserved to these latter days for 
the Church to consecrate to them a particular devo¬ 
tion. The revelations concerning this devotion were 
made to an humble Religious at the Carmelite Con¬ 
vent of Beaune (France), Sister Margaret of the 
Blessed Sacrament, who was born at Beaune in 1619. 
She was favored with heavenly graces from her earliest 
youth, and by a most extraordinary privilege, was per¬ 
mitted to enter Carmel in her twelfth year on the day 



210 


of her first communion. Her entire life was devoted 
to honoring the mysteries of the Infant Jesus, and in¬ 
culcating this her favorite devotion.* The Arch-Con¬ 
fraternity was instituted by no other than the Divine 
Infant Himself, for He appeared to Sister Margaret 
and said: “I wish you to institute an association of 
which I will inspire the rules. I will regard it as my 
treasure and my portion. This Association will be my 
family—The Family of the Infant Jesus—this is the 
title you shall give it.” The Divine Infant then prom¬ 
ised many favors to those who joined this Association. 
Sister Margaret lived to see the accomplishment of 
her work, and the Association established. M. de 
Renty was the chosen guardianf of the devotion and 
helped to propagate it until his death. 

M. Olier was intimately connected with it, and es¬ 
tablished it at St. Sulpice. Fenelon composed the 
Litany for it. Its progress was checked for a time by 
the terrible trials in France, but later it spread anew, 
and in 1855 was raised to the rank of an Arch-Confra¬ 
ternity, and still has its centre at Beaune. 

The Arch-Confraternity of the Holy Infancy rpust 
not be confounded with devotion to the Miraculous 
Infant of Prague. The origin of these devotions is dis¬ 
tinct; but they have much in common, and provided the 
title of the Confraternity is carefully guarded, for the 
gaining of the Indulgences attached to this Associa¬ 
tion, we may safely mingle them in spirit. They orig¬ 
inated almost simultaneously; the Confraternity of the 


* Vie de Marguerite du S. Sacrement. M. Louis de Cissy, 
t Vie de M. de Renty, par S. Jure. 



21 I 


Holy Infancy was established in 1636, and Fr. Cyril re¬ 
stored the Infant of Prague in 1637 and miracles im¬ 
mediately followed. The Infant of Prague may be 
regarded as the outward expression of the interior de¬ 
votion of Margaret of Beaune. Prague was the East¬ 
ern and Beaune the Western centre of the love of the 
Holy Child, and now that Venerable Father Cyril and 
the Saintly Sister Margaret are both in the Heavenly 
Country, these two flames of devotion have met, and 
kneeling at the feet of the Miraculous Infant of Prague, 
souls are moved to devotion by the Chaplet of the 
Holy Infancy, revealed to the Religious of Beaune. 

The History of the Miraculous Infant of Prague is 
too well known to need recital. Within a few short 
years, the Little King has made a triumphant tour of 
the world. He has been received with honor in the 
Carmels of Europe; in Brazil, Chili, China, Japan, 
Canada, Australia he is known; far in the interior of 
Africa amid the hostile Cannibals He has established 
his reign, and in America devotion to Him has spread 
with marvellous rapidity. Not only in Carmel the 
world over, but among Religious of every Order, even 
to the deserts of La Trappe He has found His way. 
In private houses, in chapels and in Churches we find 
Him, and everywhere He carries the little Chaplet of 
the humble Margaret of Beaune. It would seem that 
the Holy Child with His smile of innocence and sim¬ 
plicity, would wish to soften all hearts and melt the icy 
band of intellectual pride that holds captive so many a 
noble soul. May He succeed, may the sweet Jesus, 
the Infant King, reign with unchallenged sway over 


212 


the Twentieth Century; then may we hope that, as 
He holds the globe in His tiny Hand, he may like¬ 
wise hold all Christendom united in the bonds of 
charity! 


THE TERESIAN ARCH-CONFRATERNITY 
AND SCHOOL OF PRAYER. 

This Confraternity was founded at Alba de Tor- 
mes by the heroic Martyr-Bishop Isquierdo, of Sala¬ 
manca, at the time of the Ter-Centenary of Saint 
Teresa in 1882. It was established to increase 
devotion to the Saint and to “nourish souls with her 
heavenly doctrine,”* by teaching them to follow her 
footsteps in the ways of mental prayer. The motto 
of the Arch-Confraternity is her famous word: “Give 
me a quarter of an hour of prayer a day and I will 
give you Heaven.” St. Teresa was a philanthropist in 
the broadest sense of the word; she spent her life for 
the elevation of the human race, but she believed this 
elevation could only be brought about by prayer, so 
she not only prayed herself, but did all in her power 
to make others pray as well. She was not afraid to 
promise Heaven for a quarter of an hour of prayer a 
day, for she was experienced in the ways of the Spirit, 
and she knew no soul could perseveringly look at 
God for fifteen minutes each day, without being lifted 
from the misery of life, and so transformed into the 


Prayer of the Breviary for her office. 





213 


image and likeness of its Maker, that salvation would 
be secure. Cardinal Manning, in his preface to the Life 
of St. Teresa, points to her as a direct and practical 
example of the axiom of spirituality and of her own 
theology, The knowledge of God is the nobility of 
the soul, and as an illustration of this axiom he rec¬ 
ommends the work to all. There is only one door to 
the knowledge of God, and that door is prayer. Now, 
as in the days of St. Teresa, many souls are frightened 
by the very mention of mental prayer, as something 
difficult and dangerous, but to all such the Saint says: 

Do not fear to walk in the way of prayer, believe 
me it is a way extremely sure; you will be more quickly 
delivered from temptations, when you approach our 
Lord in prayer, than when you go away from Him.” 
This Confraternity, then, perpetuates her spirit in the 
Church and invites all souls to pray. Those who join 
it promise to give a quarter of an hour a day to prayer. 

The saintly Bishop, its founder, had studied the 
writings of St. Teresa, and understood that she had a 
special gift for leading souls in the way of truth. He 
had a profound conviction that this double Apostolate 
of devotion to her, and of prayer, would exercise a 
salutary influence among Christians, and he would 
have moved heaven and earth to extend the knowl¬ 
edge of her doctrine in the Church. He said: “I have 
instituted the Teresian Confraternity that souls may 
love prayer,” and his intention was to unite all hearts 
under the banner of St. Teresa, for her spirit re¬ 
sponded to the needs of all. The Arch-Confraternity 
was duly organized and was approved by his Holiness, 


214 


Leo XIII., the Pontiff of prayer, who enriched it with 
many indulgences. It numbers thousands of Asso¬ 
ciates in Europe, and the rules are printed in French, 
German and Italian. As yet it is unknown in Amer¬ 
ica, but to the many souls who love prayer and love 
St. Teresa may be spoken the words of the Bishop of 
Salamanca : “ St. Teresa, with the zeal that characterized 
her, has undertaken our salvation, let her not be disap¬ 
pointed ; let us follow her on earth, for this road will lead 
us to Heaven.” 


SPECIAL DEVOTIONS. 

Among the Saints of Carmel, distinguished for 
miracles, may be mentioned St. Albert, St. Anastasius 
and St. Elias, as they are invoked by the faithful in 
times of pressing necessity. 

St. Albert was born of noble parents at Trepani 
in Sicily. He was consecrated before his birth to Our 
Lady of Mount Carmel, and when very young, 
entered her Order at Messina, where he was distin¬ 
guished for his great devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 
and for his angelic purity. After a life full of virtues 
and extraordinary miracles, he died near- Messina on 
the 7th of August, 1306. At his funeral two angels 
appeared to all who were present in the church, and 
entoned the Mass “Os Justi” of Confessors instead of 
the Mass of Requiem, which the clergy were about to 
chant for the repose of his soul. 



2I 5 


The use of water, blessed with a relic of the Saint, 
for the cure of the sick, and particularly for cases of 
fever, is well established in the Order of the Carmelites: 
and is justified by innumerable miracles, which have 
continued without interruption to the present day. 
This custom is of heavenly origin. St. Albert, being 
attacked with a grave illness, had recourse to the 
Blessed Virgin, who deigned to appear to him, hold¬ 
ing a crystal cup, filled with water, which she offered 
him to drink. The Saint implored her to bless this 
water, and upon tasting it he was immediately cured. 

Inflamed with charity for his neighbor, he besought 
the most holy Virgin to attach a healing power to all 
water which he would bless in her name and in that of 
her Divine Son. His prayer was granted; he used 
this power during life, and has continued to exercise 
it since his death, with marvellous efficacy, by 
means of his holy relics, as has been proved by innu¬ 
merable persons who have taken this water with faith 
and confidence, while invoking his intercession. 

St. Anastasius was born in Persia in the midst of 
idolatry. He was converted and became a monk on 
Mt. Carmel. When visiting the Holy Land, he met 
Persians given to magic, and because of his efforts to 
save them from their errors, he was arrested and mar¬ 
tyred. After suffering cruel torments and being com¬ 
pelled to witness the death of seventy Christians, his 
head was cut off and brought to the King in proof 
of his death, Jan. 22, 628. 

The miracles which followed were so numerous, that 
the Second Council of Nice paid him the following eu- 


logy: “At the sight of the relics, or the image of St. 
Anastasius, the demons are put to flight, and the sick 
are cured.” After this testimony, the pious custom 
was established of wearing a picture of the head of 
the Saint, as a preservation from sickness and the 
snares of the devil, and of placing it in houses and on 
the breasts of the dying, to sustain them during their 
last conflict. 

St. Elias, “who closed and opened the heavens at his 
will,” is invoked for rain. This custom is well 
known in Rome and throughout the whole Order of 
Carmel. In May, 1879, there was a terrible drought 
in Rome; public prayers had been ordered, but the 
drought continued, and finally a solemn Triduum was 
begun in the four churches of the Carmelites. On the 
first day the prayer was partly answered, and the 
devotions continued throughout the week in thanks¬ 
giving, and to obtain a full and entire answer. The 
Votive Mass of the Saint was said each day and indul¬ 
gences were granted to the faithful. 

It would be impossible to close the chapter on the 
Devotions of Carmel, without a word regarding the 
glorious St. Joseph, the Protector of the Order. It 
is well known that the devotion to St. Joseph in the 
Western Church, was greatly inflamed and aug¬ 
mented by the increasing efforts of St. Teresa. 
She chose him for her master and guide in the 
spiritual life; she dedicated thirteen of her Mon¬ 
asteries to him, and she affirms, that she never made 
a request to him that he did not grant her. “Who¬ 
ever does not believe me,” she says, “I ask him for the 


217 


love of God to make trial of the devotion for himself.” 
The words of the Saint are well known and often 
quoted, but few know the extent of the zeal and love 
for her glorious Patron, that she infused into the hearts 
of her children of Carmel. A few examples will be 
stronger than words. Everywhere, as they went on 
new Foundations, the Discalced Carmelites spread the 
devotion. Three of the four provinces of Belgium 
before the French Revolution, were dedicated to St. 
Joseph. Of twenty Monasteries, fifteen counted him 
their Patron. At Liege, in the beginning of the 
XVIIth Century, they built the first church in the 
Principality of Liege, dedicated in his honor. Sept. 
20, 1686, Innocent XI. permitted them to establish in 
this church a Confraternity, under the title of the Pat¬ 
ronage of St. Joseph, and the Bishop of Liege ap¬ 
proved it in 1688. It was enriched with numerous in¬ 
dulgences, and these favors so rejoiced the hearts of 
the faithful, that the Fathers were moved to inaugurate 
the Confraternity with all possible splendor. The 
description of the solemnities surpasses anything that 
could be imagined in these days. The streets of the 
city were a mass of garlands and mottoes, and two 
months were spent in ornamenting the church with 
chronograms, inscriptions and paintings representing 
the Saint on his knees before the Most Holy Trinity, 
or receiving the homage of the Emperor, etc. The 
Confraternity increased day by day and the devotion 
of the fourteen Wednesdays, in honor of the seven sor¬ 
rows and seven joys, took its rise. In 1669 there was a 


great pest, the Wednesdays were made in the Church of 
the Carmelites and the plague ceased. 

Fr. Albert of the Saviour, in a recent work on the 
“Devotion to St. Joseph in the Order of Carmel,” 
names the Religious of Carmel who have written on 
this glorious Patriarch, and if from the abundance of 
the heart the mouth speaketh, then the Foster Father 
of Jesus fills to overflowing the hearts of his children 
of Carmel. 

P'r. Jerome Gratien, the friend of St. Teresa, opens 
the lists. In 1602 he published at Valence a beauti¬ 
ful and learned “Life of the Foster Father of the In¬ 
fant God.” 

Fr. Joseph of Jesus Mary wrote on the “Excellen¬ 
cies of St. Joseph the Spouse of the Virgin Mary,” 
published at Madrid in 1612. Fr. Cyprian of Holy 
Mary compared a treatise on the best manner of hon¬ 
oring St. Joseph, conformably to the doctrine of St. 
Teresa, and to this he added a life of the Saint. He 
wrote the work for the Duke Charles of Lorraine, of 
whom he was the confessor, and it was published in 
1603. 

Fr. Paul of All Saints edited at Vienna in 1654 a 
collection of prayers, with Office and Litany in honor 
of the Saint. 

There are many more, but the list is too long to 
give. The titles are suggestive of deep meditation 
upon the prerogatives of the glorious Saint. His 
“Patronage” is spoken of in 1702, and in 1720 he is 
called the “Protector of the faithful in life and death.” 

The work of Fr. Alexis Louis, published at Lyons in 
i860,—“Manual of Devotions,” went through four edi- 


tions in a short time. Of late years Fr. Berthold Ig¬ 
natius of St. Anne published a “Manual of the Asso¬ 
ciation of the Children of St. Joseph”; then there is the 
“Crown of St. Joseph,” by Fr. Francis de Sales and the 
Golden Room of St. Joseph,” by Fr. Averton of St. 
Teresa, who re-edits the work of Fr. John of the 
Cross. It is to be regretted that none of these 
are in English, for surely they would help devout 
souls. “By their fruits ye shall know them” and the 
patient toil of so many works, speaks volumes for the 
love and devotedness of the children of Carmel for 
iheir glorious Protector. In America, all four Carmels 
have St. Joseph as Titular Patron. Baltimore is the 
Monastery of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus Mary Joseph; 
St. Louis is entitled St. Joseph; New Orleans, St. Jo¬ 
seph and St. Teresa, and Boston, Our Lady and St. 
Joseph. May the new world vie with the old in hom¬ 
age to the loved Protector of the Holy Trinity, of Car¬ 
mel, and of all Christian souls! 

Having briefly sketched the History the Spirit and 
the Mission of Carmel in the Church, this little work 
is at an end. A chapter on the “Utility of Carmel” 
had been intended, but as the work progressed, the 
necessity for that chapter seemed to disappear, and has 
not been written. The History of Carmel, demon¬ 
strates its utility better than words could do; and God 
has illustrated that history by innumerable miracles, 
in attestation of His Divine approval. One word, 
however, may help some minds to an understanding 
of the position of Carmel in the Church. It is an ex¬ 
tract from a sermon preached by the Most Reverend 


220 


Archbishop Gross of Oregon, at the Carmelite Con¬ 
vent of Baltimore. He said: 

“The human body is composed of many members, 
each member has its own particular duty. The eyes 
give sight to the body, the ears convey sound, the 
tongue gives utterance to speech; but among all the 
members of the body, the heart is the very seat of life. 
From the heart goes out the stream of blood carrying 
life to every part of the body. St. Paul compares the 
Church to a human body. There are in that glorious 
Church various Orders, all for perfection. There are 
Orders that, like the tongue, speak to the world; 
others that, like the head, minister to all its wants; 
others, like the feet, traverse the world to make known 
our Lord Jesus. In the Sacred Body of Jesus there 
was that blessed Heart, unseen, unheard by men, but 
which all glowed with love for God and man, and was 
the very shrine of infinite holiness. May I be per¬ 
mitted to say, that in Christ’s mystic body—the Church 
—the Order of Mt. Carmel reminds me of the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus; for, like it unseen, unheard by man, 
hidden away, it glows with love for God and man, and 
is the sanctuary where blooms so many a flower known 
to God only. And in conclusion, I would exhort this 
Community, which has always been so dear to my 
heart, to go on in its life of love and fervor, praying, 
sacrificing itself, and drawing down graces and bene¬ 
dictions upon those who labor in the active ministry 
of the Holy Church.” 

May each Community of Carmel respond to this 
earnest wish of the venerable Prelate and thus fulfill 
its mission in the Church of God! 
























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